Moonlight: Purge
by Goodfella73
Summary: In the second of a three part saga based on the television series, "Moonlight," Mick, Beth, and their friends search for the ones in possession of the list naming every vampire in Los Angeles. A young woman returns to the city to ask Mick for help. Beth is provided with the opportunity of a lifetime.
1. Prologue

Prologue

 _Previously in "Containment," the first of a three-part series based on "Moonlight" and following the events of "Sonata…"_

 _Mick and Beth allowed themselves to submit to their feelings for one another, but almost immediately their plans for the future are interrupted with the unexpected arrival of Coraline Duvall, Mick's former vampire wife. She informed the new couple as well as their friends Josef Kostan and Simone Walker of a list naming every vampire dead and alive in Los Angeles._

 _Mick and Josef devised a plan: track down who has possession of the list in L.A. while gaining a meeting in Detroit with the Archivist, a centuries-old vampire who records the history of every vampire in the world to find out who orchestrated the theft._

 _With the help of vampire computer tech Logan Griffen, Mick was able to track down a local private security company that attempted to access records of several vampires, including Josef. But he was surprised to find that the list was sent to Ben Talbot, an assistant district attorney in L.A., and Beth's new boss._

 _Meanwhile Beth, Simone, and Coraline flew to Detroit to discover that the list was requested by Cynthia Xavier Davis, Coraline's oldest friend. She told Coraline that her brother Lance asked her to find a person in the Archivist's employ to print a copy of the list and send it to Talbot. Lance's goal: to bring about a new "Reign of Terror" that will ultimately destroy every single vampire in Los Angeles._

 _ **Dramatis Personae**_

 _ **MICK ST. JOHN**_ _, an eighty-plus year-old vampire and successful Los Angeles private investigator._

 _ **BETH TURNER**_ _, former_ _ **BuzzWire**_ _reporter, currently an investigator for the Los Angeles district attorney's office._

 _ **JOSEF KOSTAN**_ _, one of the oldest vampires in Los Angeles, and a wealthy hedge fund trader._

 _ **CORALINE DUVALL**_ _, a vampire of the Renaissance era, and Mick's ex-wife._

 _ **BEN TALBOT,**_ _a Los Angeles assistant district attorney._

 _ **LOGAN GRIFFIN,**_ _a vampire and computer expert._

 _ **GUILLERMO GASOL,**_ _a vampire and medical examiner for the Los Angeles Coroner's office._

 _ **LANCE,**_ _Coraline's brother and one of the most powerful vampires._

 _ **ALEXANDRA SANDERS,**_ _founder and president of Sanders Securities._


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

 _We made it back to the plane and were in the air in less than five minutes. Coraline laid it out for me and Simone about the talk she had with her friend Cynthia Walker Davis, and the plans her brother had laid out for the vampires living in Los Angeles._

 _When she was finished, the first thing I thought about was Mick._

 _Oh sure, he can take care of himself. From militant ex-soldiers to crazy vampires to even crazier ex-wives, he has fought them all... and won._

 _But_ this _? How can he fight_ this _?_

 _This entire situation makes the Dean Foster picture fiasco pale in comparison. God knows what he would have done. I know he wouldn't have touched him, which is why I brought those pictures of Mick's hit-and-run to Josef._

 _Whatever happened after that, I have no clue. With Josef's history, I don't think I want to know._

 _The thought of a purge ... a reign of terror, to get rid of every vampire in the city is beyond comprehension._

 _I have to get back to Mick. I've lost so much recently with Josh and Maureen gone. I don't want to lose him, too._

 _I have to get back to him_ now.

"You're kidding me. She hired _you_ and your little buddy to do _what_?"

Leaning against the counter in Mick's kitchen sipping orange juice, Beth bit back a grin while she watched Josef pace in front of the ceiling-to-floor bookcase talking on his cellphone. He noticed her staring and rolled his eyes while circling the air around his right ear with his index finger.

"Well listen up, my new best friend. You and your pal are going to be getting a call from an associate of mine in around thirty minutes or so. My advice would be to pay close attention to what he has to say because you two are going to benefit from all this. Understand?"

Josef received an acknowledgement. "Good." He ended his call and walked over to the kitchen area displaying a wide grin. "You will never guess what your boss got his detective doing now."

Beth frowned. "What now? Like sitting here waiting on Judgment Day isn't bad enough."

"No, no. Apparently Talbot hired Alex Sanders to put surveillance on me and Mick. Nothing really evasive but enough to cramp my style if I want to drop somebody off of the Hollywood sign."

Beth chuckled. "Okay. What are we going to do?"

Josef smiled. "It's already taken care of. Sanders made some hires but she doesn't know the two she reached out to, I myself have used them from time to time. Hires of a ... _brotherly_ sort, if you catch my meaning."

At that bit of news, a hint of a smile appeared on Beth's face. "Well, that's good to hear. Send this Alex Sanders out on a wild goose chase."

She started to take another sip of orange juice while Josef poured himself some plasma from a pitcher on the counter. "Wait a minute. What reason would you need to use vampires for surveillance? You almost remind me of the Archivist with his setup."

Josef said nothing as he inhaled deeply. "I thought we were never going to bring this up but I'll bite. No pun intended. Do you remember your situation with Dean Foster a while back?"

Beth's eyes widened at the mention of the photographer's name, an unspoken subject since she presented the pictures of Mick's mysterious hit-and-run to Josef months ago. "Yes," she said.

Josef crossed his arms and gave Beth a hard look. "Mick didn't want me to tell you but it's too relevant and too big of a coincidence. Talbot has a copy of one of Foster's pictures."

Beth gasped. "You're kidding."

He continued to stare at her in silence. "You're … not gonna throw him in the tar pits, are you?"

Josef smirked. "I know I come across with a cavalier attitude about life in general every now and then. Being a vampire with more money than God does that. But I have this attitude because I don't skirt the issues. I _handle_ the issues. Maybe not the way Mick would, but they are handled. Best bet would be just to ... not let your imagination wander. For your sanity. But don't worry. I'm not going to touch your boss."

He smiled and tapped her chin with his right index finger. "Besides, the most important thing is our current situation. A purge three hundred years ago is one thing. Things like newspapers, news channels and the Internet weren't around then. If one happened now, not only is Los Angeles a battleground but anywhere there are vampires living."

Beth shuddered at the thought of dozens of vampires, exposed and out in the open, fighting humans. "Have you ever thought about possibly moving back to New York?"

Josef chuckled. "Oh the thought crosses my mind every few decades but it's easier said than done for me to pick up and move cross country."

"What about Sarah?"

Josef did not immediately reply, almost causing Beth to apologize for encroaching onto a delicate subject. "All I would be able to do is sit there beside her and watch her sleep in an unexplainable limbo. It would do me no good and helps her even less."

He finished the contents of his glass, savoring the taste on his tongue. "Los Angeles is my home."

The huge painting by the apartment door split open beside them, and Mick entered from his office. "I talked to Logan to see if he knew a way of getting in contact with Lance. Nothing. It's like he's not on the grid at all. But he's here now to set up a program on my computer."

Beth looked from Mick to Josef. "What about Coraline? I mean, that's her own brother and _she_ can't find him?"

Mick shook his head. "They haven't been on good terms since the incident with the vampire cure and when she left L.A. with a stake in her chest courtesy of dear old brother. And Cynthia's not talking, either. At least not to me."

Beth grabbed her purse and walked over to Mick. "Well, I am going home to take a shower and get a change of clothes so you guys don't make a move without me, okay?"

Mick looked down into her blue eyes. "Would we ever?"

Beth gave him a wry smile. "You I trust. Him, I don't know. See you later, Josef."

Josef raised a hand to stop her. "Oh, before you go, I'm having a little soiree' at my party mansion later tonight, and I would be honored if you could attend."

"Party mansion?" Beth gave him a puzzled look. "What, you don't allow humans in your real house where all your blood, your freezer, and maybe the ashes of past enemies come and gone is stored?"

Josef smiled. "You catch on quick, my dear!"

Beth frowned. "I don't know, Josef. Last party we were invited to didn't turn out so good."

"Well this one should be okay. A fundraiser for one of my many charities. So make sure you doll yourself up for tonight. And don't forget your plus one."

Beth smiled and stood up on her toes to give Mick a kiss. "After I see you first, of course," she whispered.

He watched as she closed the door behind her and continued to stare at it for a long moment until Josef snapped his fingers. "Mick?"

"What? Oh, sorry. " Mick moved over to the counter and poured a glass of blood. "What was the call about?"

"Just a little proactive planning." Josef took the pitcher from Mick and poured himself another glass. "Shoring up final details even as we speak."

"Good to know." Mick gestured to the office passageway. "Let's check in with Logan and see how he's progressing.'

The two moved into the office where Logan Griffin sat at the desk working on the computer. He checked the connection on the webcam and gave a satisfactory nod. "Okay, everything's good to go," he said, rising from the seat. "It will ping on his end until he or one of his goons connect."

Standing in front of the desk, Josef stared in silence at Logan as he packed his computer tools into a small bag. "Uh, what's wrong, Josef?" asked Mick.

"Who is he?" Josef was pointing at Logan. "Where did he come from?"

Logan's mouth fell open. "Seriously, dude? I was here a couple of nights ago. Remember? _Calrissian?_ I threw myself in front of Monaghan's van a few nights ago!"

Josef leaned against the desk with his arms crossed as if in deep thought. "I remember Guillermo, and the Cleaner and her crew. Who can forget those three? Hmmm."

Logan muttered under his breath as he headed through the passageway to the apartment. "That was low, even for your standards, Josef," said Mick as he sat down at his desk.

Josef snapped his fingers. "Oh! He lives in Sex Offenderville!"

Mick shook his head as he adjusted his monitor and pressed a button on the keyboard. Almost immediately an unfamiliar face with long black hair filled the screen, almost causing him to jump involuntarily.

"You," he said, pointing a finger at him. "I know you,"

Mick leaned forward. "Am I speaking to Magnus McClane? The Archivist?"

The man on the monitor stared back at Mick. "I know you," he repeated. "You're that St. John character. Your freshies were here yesterday to straighten out some mess you and that Kostan hack got yourselves into."

Josef emitted a deep growl from behind the monitor. Mick pointed at him for silence before refocusing his attention on the Archivist. "You already know your security was breached by one of your own, McClane. Compromising the secrets and lives of countless vampires here in Los Angeles, and you blame _us?_ Those who are trying to clean up _your mess?"_

Taking Mick's cue, Josef gave him a wink as he settled within the webcam's view. "Think of the respect you will lose from the vampires all across the world if it gets out that our greatest secrets can be put up for sale to _anyone._ I mean, is your position one you are appointed in or you yourself assumed?"

He gave Mick a wry grin as he whispered, "Somebody will be looking for a job in Detroit pretty soon."

McClane exposed his venomous fangs in anger. "You wouldn't dare!" he seethed. "I will take your heads from your paralyzed corpses!"

Mick dismissed the threat with an unconcerned wave of his hand. "It doesn't even have to go that route, McClane," he said, trying to speak over the growls issuing from the computer speakers. "We're looking for the location of the one who initiated the breach in your database. You give us that information. If it pans out, then no one ever has to know. I will make sure that this little nasty secret stays between us."

The Archivist slowly calmed himself as he considered Mick's offer. His eyes flickered back and forth between cobalt blue and vampire gray shades several times in anger before he closed them tight. "Agreed," he snarled. "I will get you the information you seek. Who is it?"

Mick smiled. "His name is Lance. Last name unknown. Right eye is solid black."

McClane's eyes widened as he recognized the description. He quickly recovered and nodded to someone offscreen. "Stand by." He snapped his fingers and the monitor went black.

Mick looked up at Josef who shrugged. "Unemployment scares even the toughest of vampires."

The monitor came to life once again seconds later and McClane's face filled the screen. "What time of mad joke are you trying to play, St. John? Inquiring about this fella when you should know where he is yourself?"

Josef leaned back into view. "What are you talking about, you idiot?"

McClane's eyes focused on Mick as if they were only inches apart. "What I'm saying is your fella is there, right now even as we speak. Lance is in Los Angeles."

\- Chapter 1 -


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Freshly showered and dressed, Beth strolled into the living room of her apartment thumbing through her mail. "Junk, junk, bill, bill. Meaning the postal service didn't missed me," she muttered to herself as she threw the advertisements in the kitchen trash can.

Seconds after setting up her coffee maker, she checked her phone for messages and saw that Mick had sent her a text. She replied to it and placed her cell back on the counter just as she heard a soft knock at her door. She looked at her watch and frowned as she crossed the room to open the door.

An attractive woman, her brown hair tied in a ponytail stood in the hallway. Dressed in a t-shirt, jeans and a leather jacket, she smiled and gave a small wave. "Hi, Beth."

Recognition instantly dawned on her. "Allison!" Beth exclaimed, stepping out to embrace the slightly taller woman. "Oh my God, when did you get into town?"

"Yesterday afternoon." Allison returned the hug for a few seconds before stepping back. "I stopped by but you weren't in so I thought I would give it another shot this morning."

Beth gestured for her to come into the apartment. "I was out of town and didn't get back in until last night. Coffee?"

"Sure."

Allison took a seat while Beth poured another mug. "Straight?" she asked.

"You remembered."

Beth gave her the mug and sat down on the couch, staring at her coffee mug for a few seconds as she gathered her thoughts. "I meant to call you ... after the funeral. I guess I was still in a bit of shock after everything. I ... I had a lot to talk to you about. I still do."

"I understand. Believe me, it was fine. Between Mom, Dad and the rest of my relatives calling me every hour to check on me after I found out what had happened, one less call was fine with me." Allison smiled. "It's okay."

Beth smiled back. "How are your folks?"

The smile on Allison's face receded slightly. "They're doing as well as could be expected," she said. "They finally took my advice and jump on a cruise to Hawaii a few days ago out of San Francisco. I had to force them to go and not worry about me when I came home from overseas. Mom is such a worrywart."

"I don't blame her. Losing a child can throw anyone for a loop. And their youngest daughter _did_ just complete a deployment in Afghanistan."

"Yeah." Allison nodded. "But they don't have to worry about me anymore. I put in for an early out last month. Started my terminal leave Monday."

"Wow!" Beth was surprised. "That's a big step. Josh told me you wanted to make the Air Force a career. Sure you won't miss it?"

"Well yeah, but it's time to settle down and get my life together for my parents' sakes." Allison took a sip of her coffee. "Dad is acting all hard as usual but Mom told me he's happy that I'm going to be close. And I have a job already lined up."

Beth set her mug down on the coffee table. "That was quick. Where?"

"Sanders Securities. Right here in town. They're branching out to intelligence gurus like myself with military experience. I had an interview over teleconference and was hired on the spot."

Beth forced herself to smile at the mention of the same company spying on Mick and Josef. "I've heard of them. Sounds like it will be ... fun."

Allison nodded. "But enough about me. What is going on with you these days? Have you met anyone new?"

Beth hesitated as she struggled to find the words. "Uh ... well, you see -"

"Oh stop it, Beth!" Allison laughed as she placed her mug down on the table. "No one in my family, especially me, is going to judge you for wanting to go on with your life. It's not like you two were married or anything like that."

Beth exhaled audibly. "Uh, about that," she said as she walked over to the kitchen counter. She returned with a felt-covered ring box which she held out to Allison.

She did not reach for it, instead staring first at the box before regarding Beth with a shocked expression. "Is _that_ what I think it is?"

Beth nodded. "Josh had a family stone set by a friend of his. He had an appointment in his planner for him to pick up the ring. It was scheduled a few days before his funeral."

She laughed bitterly at the memory. "His friend's name was Celeste. I had the audacity to think they had something going on because ... things were not good between us at the time. But she set me straight and told me what he was planning. I was so embarrassed."

Allison slowly took the box and opened it. "I remember when Mom first showed us the stones," she said, smiling at the recollection as she admired the ring. "Josh was graduating from high school that year. I picked this one out first but Josh was like 'I want it, I want it." Finally I said fine. Take it."

She closed the box and reached over to hand it back to Beth. "Anything to shut him the hell up."

Beth looked down at the box for several seconds before she came to a decision. She held it back out. "Allison, I think you deserve this more than me. This is more yours and your family's than mine."

Allison shook her head, instead covering Beth's hand with both of hers. "You _are_ family, Beth. You don't have to wear this ring or have Lindsey as your last name to prove that."

She gently pushed Beth's hand away. "And I think Josh would still want you to have it because if it's one thing I know about my brother, he loved you with all of his heart so ... you keep that ring."

Beth smiled as she wiped a tear from her left eye. "I'll keep it safe."

Allison laughed. "Now, don't think you're getting out of answering the question, miss! Who's the guy?"

"Okay, okay!" Beth placed the ring box on the table. "His name is Mick St. John. He's a private investigator here in L.A."

"Whooo, a P.I.! Awesome!" Clearly excited, Allison rubbed her hands together. "He has to be easy on the eyes! How long have you known him?"

"Uh, about a year now." _Can't really say I knew him since I was four, can I?_ "We met while I was working on a story with _BuzzWire_ , and we've been helping each other with cases or research."

Allison nodded. "Wait a minute. St. John. I spoke with one of the policemen who was there. He wasn't the one with you and Josh when he ..."

Beth let the question remain unfinished. "He tried. He really did try his damndest to save Josh's life."

Allison smiled. "Well, I really want to meet him now. To thank him."

As if on cue, both women heard a knock at the door. Beth got up to answer it. "You just might get your chance," she said.

Mick stood in the doorway. "Hey. I'm going to talk with the Hardwick Hotel's bellman. Wanna come with?"

Beth waved him inside. "I can't," she said, gesturing to Allison who rose to her feet. "But I'm glad you're here. I have someone I'd like for you to meet."

Mick noticed her guest for the first time as he stepped into the apartment. "I'm sorry, I didn't know you had company."

"It's okay. Allison, this is Mick St. John. The P.I. I was telling you about. Mick, this is Allison Lindsey."

Mick nodded in greeting. "It's nice to meet you." Realization dawned on him as the last name hit home. "Lindsey?"

Beth gave his arm a gentle squeeze. "Allison is Josh's younger sister."

Mick's tone immediately sombered as he walked over to shake Allison's hand. "I know this is months late, but you have my condolences. Josh was a good man. He was better than what I gave him credit for."

"Thank you, Mick. And thank you for trying to save my brother. I know you did what you could that day and I want you to know I appreciate it."

Mick looked over at Beth for a second before replying. "I just did what anybody else would have done."

Allison smiled at Beth. "And modest, too! He _is_ a keeper, Beth," she said, giving her a wink.

Beth blushed as Mick suppressed a grin. "Look, you ladies are busy so I can do this trip solo."

"You sure? I would like to catch up with her. We hardly get to see each other."

"It's fine. Thinking about it now, it'll probably be safer for you anyway," he said. "Pick you up at seven for Josef's thing."

At the mention of the party, Allison grinned. "Nice. Can I tag along?"

Beth looked over at Mick who shrugged. "It's a fundraiser. Not really that kind of party, but I don't see a problem."

Allison clapped her hands. "Time for my favorite pastime event in my life, Beth. Shopping! You have to help me pick out a dress."

Beth laughed. "You still drive the Mustang?"

"It's downstairs. I'll meet you out front." Allison walked over to the apartment door and opened it. Before exiting she looked over at Mick and smiled again.

"Nice to meet you, Mick." She winked again at Beth before closing the door behind her.

Mick turned from the door back to Beth. "Wow! Josh's sister?"

"The one and only." Beth carried the coffee mugs into the kitchen. "She enlisted in the Air Force right out of high school. Most of her career was spent overseas. She was on assignment when Josh died and couldn't make the funeral. She stopped by afterwards."

"That had to been rough for her." Mick leaned on the counter and watched as Beth rinsed out the mugs and placed them in the dishwasher.

"She handled it like a trooper. I've only met her three times in the year that Josh and I were dating, but we always wrote or called each other." Beth reached over for Mick's hand. "We will have to watch what we say around her whenever she's around, though."

"Why?"

"Because she starts work for Sanders Securities soon."

Mick turned to look at the door Allison had just exited.

"Really?"

 _What else can happen?_

\- Chapter 2 -


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Josef closed his laptop as his assistant walked into his office with a briefcase in hand. "Sir, they're here."

He nodded and rose from his seat, buttoning and smoothing out his tailored jacket. "Is everything in place?"

The assistant placed the briefcase on the desk and opened it before spinning it around for Josef's inspection. "$100,000 withdrawn from one of your charity's accounts. I already have a wire transfer for twice that amount in the process of being deposited first thing Monday so it won't even be missed."

"Excellent, Adrian." Josef walked around to the front of his desk and clapped the man on his shoulder. "Why don't you show our guests in and fix us some refreshment, please."

Adrian walked to the office door and gestured outside as Josef sat down on the edge of his desk. Two men, one white and one black walked in. The baggy, loose-fitting clothes they wore gave them a youthful appearance.

But Josef knew better.

"Clint and Marshall." He smiled as he shook their hands. "Thank you for coming to meet with me."

Marshall took in the decor of the office with a long whistle. "Nice digs, Kostan. About time you shot us an invite."

Clint took his baseball cap off and ran a hand once over his cornrows. "Yeah, we haven't heard a peep from you since we handled that thing with Dean Foster for you. Thanks, by the way. That helped us out a lot jobwise so not much complaint there."

He took a step closer. "But what is the deal with you and Alex Sanders? I mean, the chick is offering us $10,000 to take pictures of you and St. John. While we do have an obligation to ... our brothers and sisters out there, you're the very same ones who haven't looked out for us. Now, what do you have that would make us quit?"

"How about this, my friend?" Josef sat up and move to the left of his desk as he spun the briefcase around for them to see.

Marshall's mouth fell open as his eyes took in the case's monetary contents. "How ... how ... how ..."

"That, my friends, is $100,000. _But_ ," Josef held up a finger for emphasis. "I don't want you to quit."

Clint eyed Kostan carefully. "You want us to _keep_ the job? Are you high?"

Adrian reentered the office with several glasses of blood balanced on a tray which he sat down on a side table. Josef walked over and picked up two of the long-stemmed glasses which he handed to his guests. "On the contrary. In fact, I want you to take so many pictures of me and Mick that you just might want to quit because you'll get sick of us. The only thing is I will tell you when and where to take those pictures"

He held up his finger again, his smile on full display. " _But ..._ I don't want you to quit."

Marshall looked over at Clint, caught a nod of consent before turning back to Josef. "Okay. We're in," he said, pulling a cigar out of his pocket. "Can I light up?"

Still smiling, Josef said, "Only if I get to throw it on you after dousing you with gas."

Marshall gulped and slipped the stogie back into his pocket as Josef walked over to grab himself a glass.

"Good. Now I also need you to do me a favor." Josef's tone turned serious. "The Dean Foster incident stays under wraps. Under no circumstances are you to bring it up in front of Mick. Understand?"

Clint nodded. "Yeah, sure. But won't he question having us around all the time?"

"Having you around?" Josef gave him a puzzled look. "What, you think I'm going to invite you to dinner?"

Coraline walked up to the hotel door at the Hardwick Hotel, unsure of herself as she prepared to knock. She heightened her senses and was just slightly surprised at what she discovered.

 _Well, this was bound to happen sooner or later,_ she thought as she knocked on the door and stepped back, patting her jacket for reassurance just before it opened.

Cynthia Xavier Davis stood at the entrance, gracing Coraline with a smile. "My dear friend," she said, reaching out to give her a peck on each cheek before stepping back. "This is a surprise. I assume you would still be in Detroit."

Coraline gave her a small smile as she entered the suite. "Not as much of a surprise at seeing the company you are keeping," she said as she turned to the other occupant of the room. "Hello, dear brother."

Sitting at a table in the far corner with a glass of blood in his hand, Lance regarded her with a smile. "My darling sister," he said. "It has been too long. Care for refreshment?"

Coraline shook her head as she walked to the center of the room. "No, thank you. I'm glad you're here. I've been trying to reach you."

"Yes, Cynthia was kind enough to fill me in upon my arrival in Los Angeles," he said, taking a small sip of his beverage and looking past her at their hostess. "Tasty flavor by the way, my dear. Where did you discover it?"

"My personal stash I always bring with me from Paris." Cynthia sat down across from him on the corner of her bed. "With Mick and Josef around, it's always best not to draw attention to yourself."

"Really?" Coraline crossed her arms and gave her brother and best friend a bewildered look. "You don't want to draw attention to yourself? If that was your goal, then you have obviously failed. Mick and Josef know that you two are threatening the safety of every vampire in Los Angeles. They mean to stop you."

Lance said nothing for several seconds, choosing instead to savor the aroma of his glass' contents. "Well, they can try," he finally said. "Kostan has always been about himself for centuries. St. John is stupid and just might lose his head to my blade sooner or later unless Kostan reins him in."

"You promised you would leave him alone, Lance! By you sending that list to the district attorney's office, you endangered him just as much as every vampire here in the city!"

"I promised not to _physically_ harm him, sister. I have not. Anything else," Lance gestured in the air with a flourish of his hand. " _C'set la vie._ _ **"**_

He smiled and finished the contents of his glass setting it down on the table as he rose from his seat. He walked over to Coraline and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Dear sister, you must understand that I do this, all of _this ..._ for the survival of our race. For that to happen, these vampires must _perish."_

Coraline stared back at her brother, seeing a clear reflection of herself in his solid black right eye. "Brother, I'm afraid it may be _you_ who will perish."

The smile slowly faded from Lance's face as he regarded his sister. Finally he leaned close and gave her a light kiss on her right cheek and lingered for what seemed like forever. It took everything in Coraline's power not to reach in her jacket.

"Farewell, my darling sister," he whispered in her ear before stepping back, the smile once again evident on his face. He walked past her to the door and opened it, looking back at Cynthia who remained on the bed in silence.

"Cynthia, thank you for your hospitality. Do remember to send me a batch of that special blend when you return home. It's to die for."

When the door closed behind him, Coraline slowly walked over to the window by the table and stared at the midday Los Angeles skyline. Cynthia rose and leaned against the wall to her left, watching her.

They remained like that in silence for five minutes until Coraline spoke. "Why?"

It was not an empty question. "It could be that you spend entirely too much time away from your true home, Coraline," said Cynthia. "It could be the time you spend here in this ... _sewer_ of a city. It could be the wasted decades you have pawned after _him._ You wasted your _essence,_ the most important part of _you_ ... on _him._ It has to stop."

Coraline said nothing, causing Cynthia to chuckle in spite of herself. "You know, I've known you and your brother for over three centuries and if I didn't know better, it sounded like you really meant what you said. About the fact that he might perish."

Coraline edged closer to Cynthia. "Oh, I meant every word, Cynthia. My dear brother may not survive this at all. But it won't be by my hand. He has nothing to fear from me."

Coraline turned slightly to look at Cynthia with a devilish smile gracing her features. "But _you_ are a different story."

Coraline's entire body abruptly turned as her right arm shot out at Cynthia's chest. The blow caused her to fall back against the side wall and then flat on the floor, a wooden stake protruding from her chest.

Cynthia's hands struggled to reach for the object but to no avail. "Co - Cora -," she gasped.

"Shh. It will be all right," said Coraline soothingly. She knelt down beside Cynthia's body and patted her hand. "Let me tell you about how _you_ are going to perish."

She grinned as she extended her free hand to brush a few strands of blonde hair from Cynthia's eyes and leaned close to where her mouth was less than a foot from her friend's right ear.

"First, I would stake you. Oh wait. I already did. Sorry. The next piece I tell you is ... genius. You already know that a stake has a painful, paralytic effect on vampires like us if it penetrates the heart. Painful, paralytic, but not deadly."

She reached for the stake and gave it a slight twist, causing Cynthia to scream in pain. Coraline smiled to herself at the outburst. "All the times I wondered why you reserve rooms on the entire floor of this hotel whenever you stay here. Well, it made this a whole lot easier. No one to hear you scream."

Cynthia's hands were a bit more limber as she started to raise her hands to her chest in an attempt to grab the stake. When she began to convulse and cough up blood, the motion halted and she looked up at Coraline in surprise. "What ... did you ... do ... to me?"

Coraline straightened herself and snapped her fingers. "Ahh! You notice you can move now. And the blood! That's the genius part. Even you would be impressed. Just ... think about it."

Cynthia coughed up another mouthful of blood. "You didn't." Her voice was barely a whisper.

"The idea came to me after Beth Turner staked me while I was under the compound's humanizing effects. Thank God she didn't do to me what I did to you, but she wouldn't have needed the 'Mortal Cure' for me."

Coraline stared down at Cynthia. "The compound I coated on the stake is humanizing the wound, which means that your body is experiencing trauma instead of feeling paralyzed. The cells of your body is in a state of flux. You're _dying_. You're dying because you tried to take away one of the few things that made me into something better than a vampire."

She rose to her feet and stared down at Cynthia's almost still form. "So I am taking away the one thing that you value above all. _Your life."_

Cynthia's breathing grew more shallow with each intake of jagged air, the first breaths she has taken in centuries. Her eyes fluttered open wide for an instant before one long exhale issued between her blood-coated lips and her head tilted slightly to the side.

Coraline waited for another minute before crouching to extract the stake from Cynthia's corpse. Once she wiped it clean and replaced it in her jacket, she took a minute to look down at the body of her oldest, former friend and sighed.

"I hope wherever you are now, you find forgiveness. Because you will not find it with me."

\- Chapter 3 -


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

 _Coraline called me after I left Beth's letting me know that Cynthia was not staying at the Hardwick as she normally did. She was off chasing down a lead concerning her brother and she'll call when she's done. That's fine. I'm not in a big hurry to tangle with him just yet anyway._

 _But now I'm wondering if that's the whole story, or if it's even the truth or not. Coraline hasn't answered or returned my six calls in the past two hours. I thought about checking out the Hardwick anyway, but some emergency in that area kept me from getting close. I know I can get by any police cordon with no problem but with Talbot gunning for me, it's best to keep a low profile._

 _I decided to put in for some cooler time at the apartment. Got a full night ahead of me at Josef's place. I swear, I think I see more of him than Beth._

 _Sick._

Mick got off the elevator on his and walked toward his door, pulling his door latch fob out to activate it. It clicked opened and he entered, sighing with relief that no one of the vampiristic sense was present and waiting on him.

His relief quickly disappeared when his cellphone ranged. Gritting his teeth, he pulled it out and answered without even checking who was calling. "I'm about to jump in my freezer for a few hours so this had better be good."

"Depends on how you look at it." said Josef. His serious tone struck Mick as odd. "You did this to me not too long ago so I'm going to do it to you. Were you at the Hardwick today?"

"The Hardwick? The police had that area cordoned off for some reason so I didn't even try. Why?"

"Good. Good. That's good news." Josef exhaled audibly with relief. "I thought you went over there and did something stupid."

Mick walked upstairs to his freezer chamber. "Josef, I'm hanging up."

"Wait. I'm sending you a video link to your inbox to check. You have to see it to believe it."

Josef disconnected before Mick could protest. He sighed and against his better judgment walked back downstairs to his office. Seconds later he was sitting at his computer opening the link.

A female reporter stood in at the entranceway of a strikingly familiar hotel giving a newscast. "Police are investigating the death of a twenty-three-year-old guest of the Hardwick Hotel earlier today."

A picture of a blonde was displayed in the top right corner, causing Mick to lean forward abruptly.

 _Cynthia?_ Dead _? Impossible._

 _Wait. Twenty-three?_

The reporter continued. "The guest has not been identified pending notification of relatives, and police officials are not commenting on the case at this time."

Mick picked his office phone up and dialed Guillermo's number. The medical examiner answered on the second ring. "I was getting ready to call you, buddy. I was wondering if this was your handiwork that just hit my table."

"Of course not. Look, I had no problem with her. _She_ was the one who couldn't stand my guts. But ... is it her?"

"Yeah. Cynthia Xavier Davis in the flesh, but you need to get down here and check this out because I think I'm going crazy."

"What's wrong?"

"Just hurry up and get here so you can see it for yourself."

Mick hung up and started for the door but hesitated as a thought just occurred to him.

 _Did Josef thought_ I _killed her?_

 _#_

Mick closed his eyes and inhaled the lingering smell that engulfed him the second he entered the autopsy chamber.

His eyes opened seconds later in surprise as he turned to Guillermo, sitting at his desk computer. "She's human!"

"Bingo. So I wasn't going crazy." Guillermo walked over to the covered table and removed the sheet. Cynthia laid there with her eyes closed and skin paler in her deceased state.

"Check this out." Guillermo pointed at a hole a little wider in circumference than his thumb near Cynthia's breastbone. "Now based on that width, what is wide enough to make a hole like that? Give you a hint. You use them all the time."

"She was staked. I get that. But ... this wound looks like she was ripped apart from the inside. A stake shouldn't be able to do that. It doesn't cause all that much damage if you were staked as a human."

Guillermo nodded in agreement, pointing at the edges of the wound with a gloved finger. "No dispute there, buddy. But check out the decay around the point of entry."

Mick stared at the wound for a second longer before leaning closer. He inhaled deeply, closing his eyes in an attempt to decipher the strange new scent he discovered.

"I think I know how she died." He straightened to look at his friend.

"And I know who killed her."

#

Allison sat back in her chair as the waitress set her food on the table. "So there I am in Amsterdam at the final Hold 'Em table and the jarhead across from me goes all in."

The two women sat at a table that looked out into the mall area where they watched passersby until Beth asked Allison about how she came across owning the Mustang.

"It was just us after taking out maybe nine other people. I had more than enough to cover his call several times over. If I won, I would have been walking out with nearly $40,000. That kind of game would have been frowned upon on-base so I have to get my kicks somewhere. I said 'Why don't you put something worth my entire stack, and I'll call all-in. Had him thinking for a minute."

"Finally he wrote out a promissory note on a napkin, had two of his buddies sign off on it and tossed it on the pot. I looked at it and laughed but said okay. So he flipped his hand. This guy, he had a full boat, queens over deuces."

Beth leaned forward, completely into the story. "Well, what did you have?"

Allison smiled. "I threw my hand down with one of the cards flipped up. It was a deuce. He thought he had me until I held up a hand to stop him, pick up another card and flipped it ... showing the other deuce."

Beth laughed as Allison poured dressing on her salad. "And that's how I won my Mustang GT500."

"I'm finding it hard to believe that he would cough up his car like that though, especially a Mustang," said Beth as she stirred her fettucini with a fork.

"Oh, I wasn't expecting anything. Though he did ask for my information afterwards. I laughed but there was something about him that said he might be all right. I gave him my parents' address and my email. I thought that was the end of it until my mom emails me a pic of the car sitting in front of the house a week after that game. Turns out the guy's parents were loaded and that was the one car they gave him that he _didn't_ like. Called his house after we said goodbye and had it driven from Sacramento with the title."

Beth smiled. "Still, Allison, for him to just _give_ you a car, he must have liked you. Poker game or not."

Allison features blushed slightly. She focused her attention on her salad as she said, "He was headed to Iraq and I had to go to Rammstein so other than one Skype message, that was the last I saw of him. We sent a few emails back and forth for a few weeks but then his stopped coming. I had no idea what happened."

"The last time I was home, I had to visit relatives in Oregon for a wedding so I decided to drive through Sacramento on the way to stop at his parents' house. That's when I found out Ray died as a result of an I.E.D. in Iraq a month after the game."

"Allison, I'm sorry."

Allison ignored her salad and looked up at Beth, her eyes moistening with the onset of tears, but a smile bestowing her features. "I like the car but to be honest I would have done fine with dinner."

Beth laughed as she raised her glass or wine. "To Ray."

Allison nodded. "To Ray."

They took a sip of their beverages and sat their glasses down just as a strikingly beautiful woman, her red hair cascading over her shoulders slowly approached the barrier separating them from the mall. "Excuse me, ladies. I don't mean to bother you during your lunch." She regarded Allison with a smile. "I think I know you."

Allison smiled back. "Unless you spent six years overseas with me in the Air Force, I don't think so."

"I knew it! My newest recruit. I always remember a face. The name comes a minute later." The woman produced a business card which she held out to Allison. "I'm sorry. My name is Alexandra Sanders. I'm the founder and president of Sanders Securities. You're Allison Lindsey, correct?"

Beth's eyes widened slightly at the introduction but it went unnoticed as Allison rose to shake Sanders' hand. "Miss Sanders! It's so good to finally meet you in person."

"You as well, and please call me Alex. Derrick said he enjoyed the interview you two did via teleconference a couple of weeks ago. I apologize for scaring you earlier but I recognized you from a screenshot he took at the beginning. Even better out of the uniform."

"Please." Allison gestured to Beth who tried to remain inconspicuous by staying silent. "I'm sorry. Alex, this is a good friend of mine I'm visiting. Beth Turner."

If Sanders recognized her name, she gave no sign as she stretched out her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Beth. Sanders Securities can't wait to bring this young lady on board. Monday of next week, right?"

Allison nodded. "That's what Derrick told me in my welcome packet." She sat down and pointed at one of the empty chairs. "Would you like to join us?"

"I'm on my way out actually, but I do appreciate the invite." Sanders tapped the barrier with a well manicured finger. "I'll see you next week."

"Looking forward to it."

Sanders conveyed a warm smile to Beth. "It was very nice to meet you, Beth," she said before turning to walk out into the mall area.

"Derrick told me that Alex had the makings of a model, but I didn't know like _that_ ," said Allison. "If I swung that way ... "

Beth laughed in spite of her earlier feelings. "You are a mess."

"I know."

Beth returned her attention to her lunch, but glanced up every few seconds at Allison. "So ... this was the first time you met her."

"Yeah. I did two teleconference interviews from Germany. Derrick is the hiring manager for the company so he made the final decision."

"I see." Beth started to ask another question but Allison's cellphone vibrated on the table signifying the receipt of a text.

"Hold on a second. I had a friend look into an apartment here in L.A. to see ... yep. It is! And I can come over to check it out today!"

She looked across the table at Beth. "If you have some time after we're done here, I'd appreciate it if you come with me to see the place since you're familiar with the area. That way if it's not a good fit, you can keep me from making a big mistake."

Beth smiled as she picked up her wine glass and drained the rest of her Merlot in one gulp.

 _Oh, it's too late for that._

\- Chapter 4 -


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Coraline, it's Mick. I need to call me back as soon as you get this. Please. It's very important."

Mick finished the fourth voicemail he had left for his ex-wife just as the elevator stopped on his floor and opened its doors. He stepped off and reached into his pocket for his door fob.

The motion halted almost as soon as it begun as his highly tuned senses picked up a faintly familiar scent, but mixed with ...

 _Is that ... milk?_

Mick walked down the corridor until he came to the small side hallway several feet from his apartment. A young brown-haired woman sat cross-legged on the floor with a newborn baby wrapped in a blanket cradled in her lap. A large clothing bag sat on the floor a few feet away next to a baby bag.

The woman's eyes widened as she looked up at his approach and gave him a smile. "I was wondering when you were going to come home. I was about to break in."

Mick's mouth fell open in surprise as recognition set in. He lowered himself to a crouch in front of the woman and child, careful not to make any noise. "Leni?"

"Hi there. Me and the little monster here were riding around today and decided to drop in and see how you were doing, so ... hi."

Mick peered at the sleeping baby boy slowly stirring in Leni's arms. "And I assume this little monster's name is Jack?"

"You remembered." She smiled again. "Three months old yesterday."

At the sound of his mother's voice, Jack's eyes opened. He looked up at Leni first and then turned his head as if to get a better view of Mick. He extended a finger and the baby immediately cooed as he grabbed and started pulling it.

"Uh, Leni, it's a long drive from Phoenix. And it's dangerous for you to be here in L.A. What happened?"

Leni's smile slowly disappeared as she looked from him to her infant son and back again. The look on her face was one of desperation.

"Mick, I think someone is trying to kill us."

#

 _Josh Lindsey hired me to find Leni Hayes when she escaped a hit put out on her while she was stashed at a safehouse. I did my part but ... she had to go piss off an arms dealer._

 _Leni pretty much saw me at my lowest point when I rescued her from one of Fayed's hired guys in the desert. I mean I never fed on someone for my survival but after being shot, escaping a helicopter attack, and a hike of several miles through open, hot ass desert ... you know the rest of the story._

Leni settled Jack in a makeshift nest of blankets and throw pillows Mick set up on the couch. "It all started when I started getting weird messages left on my cellphone. Sometimes I could hear breathing on the other end. Sometimes I have one- to two-minute long messages left in my mailbox of nothing but silence."

She sat down beside Jack and looked over at Mick who was busy fixing coffee in the kitchen. "Then someone showed up at my job looking for me. I was working at a call center. Luckily I had an appointment for Jack I made at the last minute so I wasn't there. A friend of mine called and sent me a picture of the guy. It was one of Amir Fayed's employees."

Mick brought a mug over and sat in on the table in front of Leni before sitting down on the other end of the couch. "Fayed must have tasked his guys still out to tie up loose ends while he works on an appeal or retrial."

Leni nodded. "First person I tried to call was Josh but the number's disconnected. I didn't have time for anything else so I packed what I could and took the first bus out of Phoenix. I figured the last place they would check would be L.A. You, Beth and Josh are pretty much the only people I trust."

Mick looked down at Jack. The infant's eyes opened and closed slowly as he fought the sleepiness that was overcoming him. "You've been gone for quite some time so you couldn't have known, Leni. Josh was killed a few months ago."

"Oh no." Leni covered her mouth with her hand. "What about Beth?"

"She's fine. She's out with Josh's sister right now shopping for a party tonight."

Leni smiled. "That's good. I wouldn't be surprised if you two have closed the deal yet."

Mick chuckled. "You're the second person who has told me that," he said. His tone grew serious as he gazed at the sleeping baby lying between them.

"We have to look into what's left of Fayed's organization to find out if there's a new player in town. But first, I need to make sure you're safe." He pulled his cellphone out and began to scroll through his contacts.

"Who are you calling?" Leni asked nervously.

"Teresa Novak. She was one of the detectives who worked with Lindsey during your case. Remember on the way back to L.A. when Josh called and told Beth there was a leak in his office? She wasn't it."

Leni still looked unsure of his suggestion. "Look, Leni. You are a federal witness. You know I won't let anything happen to you but if Fayed and his people are behind this, we're gonna need Novak."

He reached over and grasped her hand. "If not for you, think of Jack. Do this for his safety."

Leni stared into Mick's eyes for several seconds before finally nodding in consent. "Okay," she said softly. "But don't tell her why you're calling her. Just ask if she could come by or something."

 _Smart kid. I was planning on doing all that myself._

"Agreed." He rose from his seat. "I'll make it now."

He pressed SEND and walked over to the window. It rang twice before a female's voice answered. "Detective Novak."

"Detective. This is Mick St. John. Sorry to be bothering you on a Saturday afternoon."

"St. John!" The surprise was evident in her voice. "You are like the last person I expected to hear from any day so I am going to treat this call very seriously."

Mick laughed. "I'd appreciate it because it is serious. Is this a good time to talk?"

"I'm just catching up on some paperwork at the office so I'm good. What can I do for you?"

"Can you come by my office in the next thirty minutes? I have some information concerning a case you worked a while back."

Novak pondered the request. "Okay. I'll bite. Which one?"

"I think you would appreciate me not discussing this over an open line. Besides, I made a promise."

Novak fell silent for a few seconds. "Okay," she said. "I'll be over in a half-hour. This had better be good, St. John."

He hung up and looked over at Leni. She was stretched out on the couch, one arm draped protectively over Jack. Both were sound asleep.

 _You have no idea, Detective._

\- Chapter 5 -


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Alexandra Sanders sat in silence at her desk in her Malibu beach house reviewing the latest reports prepared by her staff. A hard copy in a manila folder sat on the desk, but she preferred to have a set emailed to her private account for her personal scrutiny.

That copy was what she transferred to a tablet and walked out on the back deck with. Niles, her house assistant, immediately busied himself making her a drink at the small bar as she walked out to the railing of the deck overlooking the beach.

She expelled a frustrated sigh and sat the tablet down as Niles walked over and sat her Crown and Coke glass next to her. She picked it up and took a sip, nodding with satisfaction. "Just what I needed, Niles. How did you know?"

"You pay me an outrageous sum of money to know these things, ma'am," he said, giving her a wink while cleaning up the bar. His British accent . "And plus I've seen you pour yourself drinks. It's a wonder you have any liquor in the house right now."

Sanders laughed, despite the frustration she was feeling. "Well, you are about to earn your keep, old boy. Fix yourself a drink and sit down. I need some advice."

Once Niles settled into a chair with a tumbler of Crown, she turned to hand him the tablet. "I'm conducting surveillance on several people as a favor to a friend of mine. I started off with a very prominent businessman in L.A. by the name of Josef Kostan."

"Kostan? I heard of him. He has George Lucas-type money." Niles pulled his cigarettes out of his shirt pocket and extended one to his boss who smiled and took it and the lighter he provided. "That's not your style, ma'am. You're usually _hired_ by these kind of people to do their dirty work."

"I know, and if I thought it was going to be this ridiculous I would have declined. Like I said, I'm doing this as a favor for a friend. But this is what my guys at the shop found after two days."

Niles moved his finger across the tablet's screen. "According to this, your techs determined that all information they originally found on Kostan leads to a ... monastery in Tibet? What the bloody hell?"

Sanders took a drag off of her cigarette and nodded. "A Tibetan monastery. Everything I found on Kostan earlier ... gone."

Niles slid the tablet on the seat beside him. "Then he has what they call an eraser working. It's a program where hackers think they're looking at the real thing online, but it's actually something the user can preprogram in the software."

Sanders frowned. "Well _that's_ not right."

"Here's where I earn my keep, ma'am. Kostan has a staff of people that probably matches up with yours in terms of experience and intelligence. I suggest you cancel this ... tech surveillance and hit him with something that he won't see coming."

Sanders considered the idea as she finished her cigarette. "You might be right," she said, putting the butt in the ashtray and holding out her hand for the tablet. "I hired some guys running around following him but I might as well refocus my energies on St. John instead. Let me bring up his file."

She slid her fingers across the screen for a few seconds before stopping suddenly, her eyes widening at an image displayed. She stared at it for several seconds before a smile appeared on her features.

"Oh yes, we _will_ be focusing our attention on Mick St. John," she stated, rising to her feet and sliding the tablet across the table to Niles. "Send an email to my techs with instructions to stand down on Kostan and pull all information on St. John. I need to make a call."

Niles nodded as she walked back into the house. Once she entered, he moved to pick up the tablet and saw the picture that had his employer so enamored.

It was a picture of Beth.

#

"Thanks for coming over on short notice, Detective."

Teresa Novak stood in front of his desk with her arms crossed. "Like I said on the phone before, St. John, this have better be good. Now, what case is it that you have information on?"

Mick nodded as he gestured for her to follow him over into his penthouse. "It'll be better if I showed you. Trust me."

Novak reluctantly walked through the passageway into Mick's living room. "St. John, I didn't come here to take a tour of your apartment. If you have nothing, I can go -"

Novak fell silent when she saw Leni standing by the stairs with Jack in her arms. She cast a bewildered look up at Mick before slowly walking over to the new mother and child.

"Leni? Sweetheart, what are you doing here?" Novak reached to touch Leni's face. "You are supposed to be far away from here."

#

"And that's it. I got out of Phoenix as quick as I could and headed here where I felt I could be safe."

Novak and Leni sat on the couch while Mick stood by his kitchen island. "You're one of the few on the force I know still around who is familiar with the case, Detective. I hope you understand why I'm keeping this close to the chest."

Novak nodded. "I understand, St. John. It's a good thing you two brought me in the loop with this. When the life of a federal witness is threatened, even after her part has been done, there's obviously something going on. My guess is it starts with Amir Fayed."

"Okay, so let's go talk to him."

"Oh no. I'll make some subtle inquiries with a U.S. marshal I know who owes me a favor. See if he heard anything. The little bit of info I do know is there's a hold up in proceeding because of Josh Lindsey's murder."

"Right. So I promised this young woman that she'll be safe. What else can we do?"

The detective mulled the question over. " _We_ \- as in _I …_ can do but so much. If the bigwigs in WitSec hear I'm fiddling around with one of their witnesses, it will tip off Fayed or whoever's running things. And after that mess with Kevin, I can't go to the D.A.'s office with this."

"I'm with you there." Mick leaned forward. "Can you assign at least two uniforms downstairs in the lobby? I can get a friend to rig some security cameras from the outside all the way inside here and my office."

Novak pulled her phone out. "I'll make it seem like someone else in the building needs protection but I'd never recommend a place like this to house any kind of witness, especially a WitSec protectee. St. John, is she safe here?"

"I wouldn't have suggested it if she wasn't."

Novak rose from her seat to make her call as Mick heard a rapid knock at the door. He closed his eyes for a second before rising from his seat. "Leni, I think I have a candidate for godmother behind the door."

He walked over and opened the door to admit Beth. She walked past him in a hurried state as she usually did when she has news. "You'll never believe what I witnessed today," she said, oblivious to Novak and Leni's presence as she turned to face Mick while he closed the door.

He quickly grabbed her by the shoulders and turned her back around to walk her further into his dwelling. "Beth? We have guests. Say hi to Detective Novak."

Beth let out a short gasp. She quickly regained her composure and gave the detective a weak smile and wave. "Hi, Teresa."

The smile disappeared when Leni turned around on the couch. "Leni? Leni Hayes?" She walked around to give her a hug and noticed Jack still sleeping on the couch.

"Oh, he is precious," she said softly, kneeling on the floor to get a closer look at his form as Novak walked over to Mick as she finished her phone call.

"I got some uniforms to cover the lobby and one on this floor as a bonus. They'll be here in fifteen minutes. They only know the floor and not which dwelling," she said. "But I can only keep them around for twenty-four, maybe forty-eight hours. I'm gonna start making some calls to some of my C.I.s to see if they've heard anything about Fayed's people and also my friend at the marshal's office. Check in with you later."

Novak showed herself out as Mick walked over to his office entranceway. "Leni, would you mind if I talk to Beth about a few things in private?"

Leni reached for the baby's diaper bag sitting on the floor at her feet. "Sure. This little rugrat probably needs to be changed anyway."

"Well, it looks like you had an interesting afternoon, St. John," Beth said teasingly as she followed Mick into his office. "I leave you with two vampires and come back to find you playing daddy."

"Oh if that could only have been the extent of it," he said. "Cynthia Davis is dead."

"What? How?"

Mick sat down in one of the chairs facing his desk. "I'm sure it was Coraline. I'm also sure she used a stake coated with the compound. Basically ate her from the inside out."

Beth shook her head as she took the seat beside him. "Wow, you think Josef thought that one up yet?"

Mick shrugged. "Who knows? Right now I'm more interested in your news. If I wasn't close by, you would have confessed to everything plus poured me a glass of blood right there in front of Novak and Leni."

"Ha ha ha. But yes, I _do_ have news. I met Alex Sanders today."

Now it was Mick's turn to be surprised. "Where?"

Beth filled him in on her lunch with Allison and the chance meeting. "I don't think she knows me. She strikes me as the type of person who would find out something and then lean back in a chair with an evil grin while stroking a Siamese cat."

"Yeah, but she's bound to find out something sooner or later." Mick sighed as he stretched. "I've been trying to hit my freezer all afternoon but something keeps coming up. And the last thing I want is a repeat episode of the desert with Leni here."

"You delicate flower." She rose and sat down in his lap. "Before you do anything, I want a kiss. A _real one,_ Mr. St. John."

"Well, your wish is my command, Ms. Turner."

\- Chapter 6 -


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Josef leaned back in his chair and conveyed what he hoped was a genuine gesture of remorse and sympathy.

It was all he could do to keep from laughing.

"I'm very sorry about what had happened. Really, I am. You have to believe me when I say that I have no idea what happened at the hotel. Why would you come here to ask me? I haven't seen Cynthia in more than fifty years. She never liked me."

Seething in anger, Lance shook his head. "Drop the condolences act, Kostan. You and St. John could care less if she lived or died. Now she's dead and you're ignorant of the whole situation?"

Josef waved a hand at his laptop. "I found out about her death the same way just about everyone in L.A. finds out about news if they weren't a part of it: _from_ the news. It was on TV and the internet, for God's sakes!"

Lance rose from his seat and braced himself by his hands on the edge of Josef's desk as he leaned forward. "Listen to me, Kostan. I am going to tear this city apart. I _will_ find the person who killed Cynthia. That person _will_ die. And there isn't a thing you, St. John, or your pathetic humans can do about it."

Josef stared back at his guest in silence for a three count before slowly rising to his feet. His eyes never left Lance's throughout the entire movement. "Lance, you may have this ... assumption that I am afraid of you. That isn't true. You definitely have this assumption that you can go anywhere and project yourself as a vampire to be feared. That _definitely_ isn't true. Even as we stand here, I'm struggling to find a reason why I shouldn't have you set on fire and flush the ashes into the Pacific for sending that list to the district attorney. I'm struggling to find a reason why I should care that Cynthia Xavier Davis, a woman whose very existence struck me as unnecessary, has met an untimely but befitting end considering the injustice she has done our vampire nation here in Los Angeles. I'm struggling to find a reason ... why _you_ should not meet that same end."

He mirrored Lance's stance as he leaned forward over his desk, their faces separating by mere inches. "I think it's time for you to go now, Lance. Please don't forget to have my assistant validate your parking and ... try to behave yourself."

Both vampires stared at each other for seconds that seemed like hours. Lance bared his fangs several times over the desk at Josef, who simply smiled with a hint of malice.

Finally Lance straightened. He buttoned his jacket and smiled back at Josef. "Always a pleasure, Kostan."

He turned to exit the office. Before he turned the doorknob, he glanced over his right shoulder, his solid black orb of an eye staring ominously back at Josef.

"And do remember what I said. I meant every word."

Once Lance closed the door behind him, Josef exhaled audibly and turned to stare at the skyline. Adrian entered the office and stood patiently in front of the desk awaiting any instructions that may be forthcoming.

"Call Ryder at the house," Josef said over his shoulder. "Have him contact all the guests for the party and inform them it's canceled. His discretion at what excuse he makes up. Then have him contact Simone and ... what was name of the Cleaner who likes Mick? The one whose outfit is a mixture of CatWoman and Miss Kensington from "Austin Powers?"

"I'll take care of it, sir. Anything else?"

Josef turned around and reached into his desk for his cellphone. "Have them meet me at my house in thirty minutes. I'm going to Mick's."

#

Leni sighed and pushed the mouse away in frustration. "Is all this really necessary?"

"Yes, Leni." Standing behind her, Mick reached over and slid it back into her hand. "We have to know which guy it was that was looking for you in Phoenix. Once we find that out, then Novak has something to work with."

Leni groaned and settled her chin on her forearm while manipulating the mouse. Mick smiled to himself while he walked over to a filing cabinet. He paused for a second to check the policeman standing guard on his hallway video monitor before pulling a folder out and walked back to his desk.

"Mick, can I ask you something?"

He sat down in the couch. "Sure. What's up?"

Leni clicked the mouse to bring another mugshot on the computer screen. "That day, when you came out to find me and bring me back to L.A. to testify ... do you think about that day at all?"

Mick started to laugh at the question mostly to deflect it, but stopped himself when he took note of Leni's seriousness. He put the folder down next to him and leaned forward.

"That was a day that I try not to think of a lot, Leni. I think you can understand why. I ... I wasn't myself."

Leni nodded. "Okay, that's understandable about you not thinking about it much. Thing is I do, but ... you didn't know me or have anything to do with my case and yet you risked your life to save mine. And Jack's as well."

She slid the mouse away from her and sat herself up. "I think what I want to know is ... why. Why me?"

Mick paused as he considered the question. Before he could answered it, the door from the apartment opened and Beth quickly rushed in. "Mick, Josef's outside in the hallway. You need to hear this."

Mick shot to his feet and looked at Leni. "Hey, I got to speak with this guy in private. Why don't you go check on Jack and fix yourself something to drink, okay?"

"Uh, okay." Leni got up and walked through the passageway with Beth as Mick opened the office door.

"This is unusual me having to open the door for you, Josef."

Josef ignored the jab and entered the office, looking around hurriedly as if it was his very first time inside. "I need you to gather some weapons, get packed up and move everything over to my house."

"Your house? What's going on?" Mick could not remember a time when he ever saw his best friend razzled, but the vampire before him was definitely shaken.

"Lance paid me a not too friendly visit today, Mick. He's basically threatened you, me, everyone we know ... for the death of Cynthia."

Unmoved, Mick crossed his arms. "Well, what did you do to piss him off, Josef?"

"Me?! Last thing I remember, you _did_ covet his sister at one point. Oh, and let's not forget you _did_ piss off quite a few vampires for not being so accepting of your newfound plane of existence at the time."

Mick started to protest, but thought better of himself. "Yeah, you're right. Fine. But take Beth and get her out of here. I can't leave."

Josef began to argue the point but smiled instead. "You have a guest. Who is she?" He lowered his voice. "And why does it smell like a nursery in here?"

Mick glanced over at the apartment passageway. "Remember the federal witness I almost died for in Victorsville? One of her former co-workers tried to kill her, so she came back to find me. I'm trying to keep her safe until we figure out what's going on."

"Damnit! This couldn't have happened at the worst time." Josef clenched his fists as he struggled within.

"Fine," he conceded. "The cops ... I feel for them if something happens. But I'm not leaving you here by yourself. Lance is unpredictable and capable of doing anything. I'm sending one of the Cleaners to assist. And before you ask, it will be as if she wasn't here."

Mick sighed defeat. "Fine," he said. "But promise me that you'll look after my Beth. Make sure nothing happens to her."

"You have my word, my friend. She'll be safe." Josef moved to the door and ran his finger over the finish while his back was to Mick.

"Too many hands are in the cookie jar, Mick. Lance. Cynthia. Alex Sanders and her entire company. Ben Talbot and all of his resources. Do you think it starts with one and end with the other?"

Mick gave Josef's question much consideration. "I don't know. I don't want to assume and then a decision is made that will do more harm than good. I want to say yeah but we need to do more checking."

Josef nodded and started for the penthouse with Mick in tow. Beth and Leni were standing in the kitchen with coffee mugs in hand while Jack, sitting in his car seat on the island, watched them with interest.

Mick introduced Leni and Jack to Josef and pulled Beth to the bookcase while his friend attempted to engage the baby. Mick smirked as the baby gave his friend a wide-eyed look from his seat.

The look Beth gave Mick was one of concern. "Why do I get the feeling I'm leaving?"

Mick ran a finger along the contour of Beth's jaw line. "Josef will explain once you're gone," he whispered, shooting a look at Leni to make sure she couldn't overhear their conversation. "I have to stay here with Leni and Jack. Novak won't like it if I have her moved now."

Beth buried her forehead in his chest as Mick embraced her. "You have better use the time that you have wisely, Mr. St. John," she hissed through clenched teeth. " _I want a vacation."_

\- Chapter 7 -


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Mick covered Leni with another blanket he brought from upstairs. She slightly stirred as her body snuggled closer against Jack's still form on the couch.

He went to check the security of both the penthouse and his office for the third time, but realized that he never took the flight of stairs leading to the outdoor terrace. With his mini crossbow in one hand and his pistol tucked in the back of his jeans, he made his way up the steps.

The decay was heavy in the air even before he made it to the door, but it was a scent he was very familiar with.

 _Thank God Beth isn't here._

He opened the door and smiled at the figure standing by the wall. "I have to learn this trick because there was no way you could have gotten past me to get up here."

A redheaded woman with a curvaceous body fitting snugly in a matte gray outfit with low-hanging belt leaned against the wall. Her thigh-high black boots reflected the moonlight on the floor as she turned around.

"A very simple trick to learn, Mick," the Cleaner said. "For another time. I came in while you all were in your penthouse. Less confusion that way, keeping your guests from seeing me."

She walked over and poked Mick lightly in the chest with a finger. "And what is this I'm hearing out in the nation, Mick? You're dating a human? I thought your taste was a bit more ... refined."

Mick shrugged. "Come on now. You know how the system works. No kiss and tell."

The Cleaner feigned surprise. "Oh, put a spin on my words, why don't you?" She laughed as she looked out over the city.

"Josef told me what's going on with you and your client. Bad timing considering this new vampire floating around."

 _New? Josef obviously didn't tell her_ everything. "I couldn't have left even if we didn't have this problem. L.A.P.D.'s down in the lobby and on this floor specifically watching out for her."

"Really?" The Cleaner frowned. "There's no cop up here. In fact, I didn't see any cops when I came in the building. I did a walkthrough before I came upstairs."

Now it was Mick's turn to look troubled. He started to ask a question but his super sensitive hearing picked up the sound of a door being forcibly opened downstairs. He looked at the Cleaner who nodded back. "I heard it, too."

He raised his pistol and rushed to the door, the Cleaner hot on his heels with a .22 in her gloved hands. They took the steps as if they were not there and quickly moved into the penthouse where both came to a sudden stop at the sight before them.

The door to the penthouse was wide open. Leni and Jack were still asleep on the couch, their breathing pattern still regular and unaffected by the looming form of Lance as he casted an eerie shadow over the two humans.

" _Tsk tsk tsk_. Mick. You have a nasty habit of bringing home strays, do you. I'm tempted to know what flavor they are ... right now."

Mick and the Cleaner trained their weapons on the elder vampire. "Back away, Lance," growled Mick. "She has nothing to do with this."

Lance placed a single finger against his lips. "Quiet. You don't want to wake the baby with those hand cannons. And even as he's sleeping so soundly. But not to worry. A little something I sprinkled in the air will keep him and his mother from interrupting so we can talk freely."

Mick started to rush forward but Lance halted his approach with an upraised hand. "I wouldn't come any closer if I were you, St. John," he said, unsheathing a short sword covered by his long black coat. He placed it on the couch cushion a mere handful of inches from Leni and Jack. "You're going to answer a few questions for me. If I like your answers, then I will leave your quaint domicile intact and you will have nothing to fear from me."

He picked up his blade and pricked his thumb with its razor sharp edge, drawing a trickle of blood. "If your answers do not give me satisfaction, well," he smiled. "You remember that scientist and what I did to him, do you? Place your weapons on the floor and step away from them."

Mick looked over at the Cleaner and gave her a small nod. She bent down first and placed her pistol on the rug in front of her. Mick hooked the trigger guards of both weapons with his left index finger and began to lower himself to a crouch.

Lance rose from his seat with his blade extended from his left side. "That was almost too easy, St. John. I did not think you would bend."

Mick placed his weapons on the floor and straightened. "You really don't know me at all, Lance," he snarled, throwing his right hand out toward the vampire.

One of Mick's decorative stakes shot out of his sleeve, stabbing Lance in the wrist holding his short sword. Lance cried out in pain as his weapon fell from his hand and he staggered a few steps from the couch.

Spacing was all Mick needed. He launched himself at Lance, slamming him against the far wall while yelling at the Cleaner, "Get them out of here now!"

The Cleaner rushed over to Leni and Jack as Mick grabbed Lance by the throat and slammed him bodily to the floor twice. The impact stunned Lance just enough for Mick to cock his left wrist, exposing another stake. It slid into his hand and he grasped it while still holding on to Lance by his neck. He reared back, preparing to stab Lance in the chest.

But the elder vampire had other ideas. Lance deflected the blow with his right hand, causing Mick's stake to penetrate the floor. He brought his right hand up again across his body and hooked the back of Mick's neck, slamming his forehead several times into the floor beside him. The stake rolled out of a stunned Mick's hand.

Faster than even Mick thought possible, Lance swung his legs in the air to where he was now crouched over Mick. As an afterthought he glanced at his left wrist where Mick's first stake still protruded through the radius. He punched Mick in the back of his head before pulling the stake out.

"Well, St. John, I guess I'll have to get my answers from someone else," he growled as he grasped the back of Mick's neck. "I would just stake you but I want you to feel as much pain as I can bestow upon you ... before I take your head."

Mick felt the tip of the stake underneath his right ear. He braced for its impact, silently thankful that Beth wasn't there to witness his impending demise.

A demise which never came. Lance stiffened for several seconds and fell hard on top of Mick's back, unmoving except for short, jagged gasps. The stake he was preparing to stab Mick with slid out of his fingers onto the floor.

Mick slowly crawled from underneath Lance's inert form, completely in awe of what happened. When his vision finally cleared, he had no choice but to smile.

The Cleaner smiled back as she extended a hand down to Mick to help him to his feet. When he looked down at Lance, he saw another stake sticking out of the vampire's back. He almost laughed while rubbing his forehead.

"Where's Leni and the baby?"

"I carried them upstairs. They're fine. Whatever he used on them shouldn't have any lasting effects."

From seemingly out of nowhere she produced a cellphone and dialed a number. "It's me. I need you to send support squad Alpha to St. John's residence now. Yes, we're gonna need the heavy gear."

She hung up and toed Lance with a boot. "Normally we would just take them out to the desert at night and turn them to ash," she said.

"Except that this isn't normal." Mick picked up Lance's sword and knelt beside him, holding the blade against his throat. A thin line of blood began forming against the blade. "I am going to hate myself for this, though."

He straightened and looked back at the Cleaner. "He needs to stay alive."

The Cleaner was clearly surprised. "Mick, are you crazy? And after what he did not only just now but to all of us? He has endangered the lives of every vampire here in Los Angeles. He deserves to die."

"Look, nobody agrees with you more than me, but ... you have to trust me on this." Mick bent down to retrieve his pistol and mini crossbow. "What do you have to hold him?"

"You'll be surprised at what we do besides clean up, Mick," she said, a mischievous grin gracing her features. "But I'll tell you what. I'll back you if I could try something out real quick ..."

She pulled Mick by his arm into a deep kiss which he barely returned being as surprised as he was by her actions. When she finished and released him, she closed her eyes and licked her red lips as if tasting a new wine.

"Hmmm. Just as I imagined."

\- Chapter 8 -


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

The Cleaner was very efficient indeed.

Within five minutes of her call, four men, two dressed as EMS technicians, arrived on the scene. Mick guided them to a service elevator so as not to attract attention. Once on the scene, the fake techs secured Lance with steel manacles that covered half of his forearms and his ankles before restaking him in his chest while the others scrubbed the penthouse clean of evidence. With the stake still embedded in his chest, they placed him in a bodybag and wheeled him out the way they came.

Mick tried calling Novak with no success. At his insistence, the Cleaner sent one of her staff to look around his building for the missing policemen.

The news he returned with was not reassuring.

"I found three cops in a dumpster at the far end of the alley behind the building. All three had their necks broken," he said. He was dressed in a black jumpsuit which he removed while giving his report. "Judging from the decay detected, a vampire was involved. I suggest we get Lance locked down first and then come back to take care of the scene."

The Cleaner shook her head. "Negative. Leave that to the humans. Make sure our "guest" is properly secure."

The man nodded and closed the door behind him as Mick carefully walked Leni downstairs from the bathroom. Jack was cradled in his left arm, mostly interested in his surroundings than another nap. The Cleaner walked over and took the baby from Mick as he slowly guided the young woman to the couch and sat her down.

Leni noticed the Cleaner for the first time. Or rather, her attire. She looked her up and down before giving Mick a look over her shoulder while he locked the front door. "Uh, Mick, I don't want to interrupt whatever it is you got going on here with ... her."

"What?" It took Mick a few seconds to catch on to what Leni was talking about. "Wait a minute. It's not like that at all. We're just friends. Her name is -"

"Mick," The Cleaner interrupted, letting Jack play with a blood-red painted fingernail. "I think I better go take care of that other thing. I'll call you a little later, okay?"

She walked over and slid Jack into Leni's arms, giving both a warm smile. "He is going to be a heartbreaker when he grows up."

Leni laughed weakly as the Cleaner rose and walked to the door which Mick had already opened. She squeezed his forearm and spoke low enough for only Mick's vampiric hearing to pick up. "Did you hear what my man reported?"

Mick nodded. "Good call."

The Cleaner looked as if she wanted to lean in close but chose to place a hand on Mick's chest instead.

"Thanks for the kiss."

She smiled and walked out the door towards the elevator as Mick hesitated before closing the door. He stood there for a few seconds as he shook his head in bewilderment before turning around.

Leni was still on the couch looking at him confused. In spite of his very young age, Jack sat up in her arms with the appearance of giving him an approving look.

Mick shook off the sight and walked around to the sitting area. "Leni, I'm not going to cover this up for you or anything so ... you were attacked. Over twenty minutes ago."

To his amazement, Leni simply nodded. "I had a feeling. I woke up all groggy and Jack has this drunk look on his face. Or it could be the outfit your dominatrix was wearing that he liked."

"No, the attacker put something in the air that knocked both of you out. I believe you're fine but I'm going to take you somewhere where you can get checked out."

Mick's cell phone vibrated on the kitchen counter. He walked over and saw Beth's name displayed. "Hello?"

"Mick, are you and Leni okay?" Beth was hurried as usual with no pleasantries. That normally meant trouble.

"We're fine. Had a little trouble but it's taken care of. We're ready to head over to Josef's."

"Well, you need to leave right now. Talbot just called me. He said a cop was found dead a block from your building. He already has Carl Davis enroute and wants me down there as well."

Mick shrugged. "Well go ahead. The ones that are dead are behind my building in a dumpster. It hasn't even been called in yet."

Beth hesitated in replying. "Mick ... it was Novak they found."

Mick slowly sat down on one of his stools, stealing a glance at Leni who was changing Jack's diaper. "No," he breathed.

"I'll know more when I get there. According to Talbot, he should be there in fifteen minutes. That gives you ten."

Mick hung up without another word, his mind racing. If Talbot pull Novak's phone records, he would find out about the request for a protection detail. And when he finds out what building it was for ...

He walked over to where he kept his weapons case and pulled it out. Opening a small satchel he kept beside it, he began filling it with stakes, arrows and clips for his pistol.

"Leni, I need you to get your things together. Just what you can carry. We have to leave now."

#

Mick got off the elevator onto the parking garage floor where his car was parked. He looked left and right twice, his senses fully tuned for any kind of approaching trouble.

When he was satisfied, he gestured for Leni to exit the elevator. With Jack and his weapons in tow, they quickly covered the lot and were inside the car. Mick inserted the key and was about to turn it when his phone vibrated as result of a text receipt.

 **Talbot is coming to your building! Get out!**

Mick quickly came to a decision. He pulled a pistol out of the bag and slid it in his jacket. "Leni, get up here. Wait three minutes and drive out of the garage."

He was already out of the car before Leni could protest and ran back to the elevator. Luckily it was still positioned on the parking garage level, meaning no one in the entire building had called for it. He got in and pressed the button for the lobby, using the few seconds between floors to make himself presentable.

When the doors opened, he proceeded to exit but came to a halt by the approach of a half dozen policemen through the main lobby doors, with Ben Talbot and Lieutenant Carl Davis in the lead.

Mick knew Davis from several cases he had worked and despite the current situation, he was inwardly happy to see the lieutenant back in action. Several weeks after the murder and burial of Josh Lindsey, Davis was placed on administrative leave while an investigation was launched into the kidnapping and shooting. It took more than two months, witness statements from Mick and Beth, and hundreds of investigative man hours before Davis returned back to the force completely cleared of any wrongdoing. It took even longer before Talbot accepted him as an investigator for his staff.

Mick spread his arms out to his sides in a non-threatening gesture. "A.D.A. Talbot. Lieutenant Davis. This is totally unexpected. What brings you to my building?"

Talbot gestured to the policemen behind him. "Half of you check the alleys surrounding the building. The rest check the parking garage."

He returned his attention to Mick as the policemen split off to take the elevator and a hallway leading to the rear of the lobby. "St. John. No surprise finding you here. You know he lived here, Lieutenant?"

Davis nodded. "First time here. I heard he has a nice place."

Talbot frowned. "St. John, where were you two hours ago?"

"I was upstairs at my place. Getting ready to head down the street for a bite to eat." He gave a slight smile. "But what's going on? Why are you here?"

Davis stepped forward before Talbot could say anything. "Teresa Novak was found murdered almost two blocks away from here. We're canvassing the area for leads right now."

"Novak?" Mick found it easy to feign surprise, as the news of Novak's murder was still fresh. "What happened?"

Davis pointed to the left side of his temple. "Single GSW to her head while she was sitting in her vehicle. She was in the process of making a call."

 _Gun shot? Then it couldn't have been Lance. Not his style._

He turned to Talbot. "What can I do?"

It was Talbot's turn to be surprised. "What can you do? You can do _nothing,_ St. John. Just the fact that you live not far from the scene where a cop was murdered makes me wonder if you had anything to do with it."

Davis shook his head. "Sir, St. John wouldn't have anything to do with the murder of a cop. Let's be rational about this"

Talbot shot Davis an unbelieving look. He started to reply when one of the cops sent off earlier ran down the rear hallway and gestured for his superiors.

"I found something!"

#

Leni drove out of the garage and headed down the street as fast but as inconspicuous as possible. She did not even dare to look into the rearview mirror at the building behind her for fear of not liking what might appear.

After five minutes, she pulled over and spared a glance at her son, strapped in the backseat. She stretched behind to reach into his seat and was satisfied when he grabbed her index finger.

A sharp knock on her window nearly made her brush Jack across his face with her hand. The sudden motion scared him enough for him to start to whimper.

Leni looked outside preparing to berate whoever rapped on her window. The outburst was quickly bitten down as she recognized the culprit and she rolled the window down. "Beth! I am so glad to see you!"

Beth smiled as she leaned against the car. "Sorry for scaring you, Leni. I was heading over to Mick's building when I saw his car. Where is he?"

"At his place. He told me to go ahead and leave. What's going on, Beth? He sent us out out by ourselves! He said earlier ... we were attacked in his apartment! I'm walking around all dizzy and groggy from being poisoned while Mick has some dominatrix holding my child?!"

Beth frowned. She made a mental note to ask Mick about the incident as she quickly straightened and pointed to a car behind her. A man exited the passenger door and rushed over. "We'll get your questions answered as quickly as possible. I promise. I told Mick to get you out of there because the district attorney's there right now. They can't know you're back."

She pointed to the male standing beside her. "This is my friend Ryder England. He'll get you over to Josef's where you'll be safe."

Ryder nodded and opened the driver door, gesturing for Leni to crawl into the back seat as Beth rushed back to her car. Minutes later she parked in front of Mick's building and quickly exited. A policeman standing in front inspected her credentials and directed another to escort her through.

The two ended up behind the building where Talbot, Mick, and Lieutenant Davis watched a crime scene investigator balanced himself on a ladder with a camera in his hands over an open dumpster. A black van marked **MEDICAL EXAMINER** was slowly backing into the alley.

Talbot turned around at her approach and waved her over. "Thanks for coming," he said. "But it may turn out I can't use you for this case. Not after what we just found."

Beth glanced at Mick and at the scene behind the three men. "Uh, what's going on?"

Davis gestured at the dumpster. "Four cops found dead. Three found back here with their necks appearing to be broken. One, Detective Novak, found almost two blocks away in her car shot in the temple. And they were all here for some type of protection detail."

A plainclothes detective walked outside from the building and gave Talbot a folded piece of paper and a cellphone. Talbot read the note first and then turned the cellphone display on. He glanced at Mick and the screen several times before sighing and handed the items back to the detective.

"All right, St. John. If you don't explain why Novak had your address in her GPS and a phone call from you in her cell, I'm taking you in right now."

Beth looked at Talbot in shock. "Ben, you know Mick had nothing to do with this!"

"Actually, Beth, I don't. It's my job to figure out, though." Talbot crossed his arms and gave Mick an expectant look.

Mick started to protest but the pleading look on Beth's face forced him to change his mind. He squeezed his eyes tightly for five seconds. "Fine," he conceded. "You win. But you have to promise that this goes no further than you two. This is serious."

"Okay," said Davis before Talbot could object. "Let's hear it."

Mick gestured to the dumpster. "Novak arranged the protection detail because a witness for one of Josh Lindsey's cases tracked me down today. Leni Hayes."

Davis' eyes widened at recognition of the name. "Leni? She's here? Where is she?"

"Someplace safe. I called Novak because she was the only one still around besides myself who knew Leni and was familiar with the Amir Fayed case."

"Hold on a minute." Talbot held up a hand to forestall further comment. "You harbored a federal witness without reporting it to the authorities?"

Mick nodded. "Yes, I did, and remember, I did call Novak. I did it because what should have been a simple retrieval almost a year ago turned out to be duck and dodge at every turn! I almost died! There was a leak in _your office_ who was feeding information back to Fayed's people who were trying to kill her! And now someone's obviously trying to kill her again!"

At that, Beth interjected herself into the conversation. "Ben, this was before you got to L.A., but Mick risked his life twice now to protect Leni. The D.A.'s office owes him some consideration for that."

Talbot closed his eyes and rubbed his temple as he paced back and forth. "Something tells me you knew about all this, Beth. Please tell me I'm wrong."

"She had nothing to do with this at all, Talbot," said Mick. "I wouldn't let her get involved."

" _But she is involved,_ St. John!" Talbot exclaimed. "The second she found out, it was her duty to inform me! For God's sakes, the girl's a WitSec protectee!"

Talbot turned to Beth and gave her a pointed look. "You need to decide what is more important here: your relationship with St. John, or your job."

"Okay, okay. Let's keep a calm head about this." Davis stepped in the center just as Mick started to tense. "The most important thing is finding out who killed those cops. Now we know what they were here for. Mick, where is she?"

Mick gave Talbot an angry look. "She's safe. That's all I'm saying for now."

Talbot shook his head. "Not good enough," he said, gesturing to the uniformed policeman who escorted Beth to the back. "Tell me now or you're going in for obstruction of justice."

" _Or,_ I can go talk to her." Davis waved the policeman back to his spot by the loading bay door. "I was a part of the protection detail in the early stages before I was moved to narcotics for a month. Leni knows me. "

He glanced over his shoulder at Talbot "This ... this is unfortunate, but it's nothing we can hold him for anyway and you know it. Sir."

Talbot started to object but Davis continued, holding a hand up in Talbot's face. "You know, I had a feeling this would end up like this. You and your predecessor are just alike. Every time you see Mick St. John, you automatically think _he_ is the culprit. Now I may be just a detective but I do have a criminal justice degree from Hurst College and therefore am not stupid."

He gave Talbot a cold, long look. "Josh Lindsey was a good man, but every now and then he abused the power the Los Angeles district attorney's office had given him. _You ..._ you are doing the same thing and you're running over good people doing it."

Davis shook his head in disgust and gestured to Mick. "Take me to Leni, Mick. I just want to talk to her. The sooner we do, the sooner we can get you cleared."

Giving Talbot a final look, Mick proceeded to follow Davis out of the alley. Beth started to join them but stopped to look at the silent lawyer.

"Just so you know, the truth is what's important to me. And Mick represents that constantly. If you could look past ... _whatever_ it is that blinds you to that fact, then maybe you could see that and everything will be better off. In the meantime, here is my decision."

She threw something at his feet and rushed to catch up with Davis and Mick, leaving Talbot standing by himself and watching her depart. He exhaled and looked down to see what she had dropped.

It was her identification card for his office.

\- Chapter 9 -


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Josef hung up his phone and rubbed his chin. "Something told me to go to Alaska this weekend," he muttered as he rose to his feet.

Simone sat in front of his desk with Adrian standing by the entrance, his hands clasped in front of him. Both looked up expectantly for his instructions.

"That was the Cleaner," he announced.

"Which one?" queried Adrian. "Miss Kensington, the Brit, or the Molly Culver lookalike?"

Josef chuckled. "Miss Kensington. She camped out at Mick's place when she noticed all the police hanging around and overheard them saying they needed to speak with Mick's young charge. Is she here? I thought I caught a hint of Similac in the air."

Adrian nodded. "Ryder just walked them in."

"Good. Make sure our house physician checks them both out. According to the Cleaner, they were drugged with some sort of paralytic at Mick's." He looked down at Simone as he stated, "One of them is a three-month old baby boy."

Adrian nodded and exited the office as Simone frowned. "How terrible," she said. "Messing with a baby like that. What can I do?"

Josef did not respond immediately as he walked around his desk and held out his hand to Simone, helping her to her feet. "Your services are needed tonight, my dear. Mick is bringing a detective here to question the young woman, but it sounds like that D.A. ... Talbot ... he's giving him a hard time. I need you to sit in on their conversation and if something out of the ordinary comes up, you call it. Understand?"

Simone nodded as they walked down the hall into the spacious living room. With Jack resting comfortably in her lap, Leni was accepting a cup of water from Ryder as they entered. She looked up with recognition in her eyes at Josef's approach.

"And I thought Mick had a nice place," she said.

Josef smiled as Simone sat beside her. "This old thing? If it wasn't for the fact I need a place to lay my head, I'd give it to you in a heartbeat."

He gestured to Simone who was playing with Jack. "My lawyer Simone is going to be with you for a while. Mick and Beth are on their way here with a Lieutenant Carl Davis. You know him from the Fayed case, don't you?"

Leni nodded. "He organized the protection detail for me with Detective Novak."

"Right. They trust him so I told them to bring him here, but there is some business you and I need to discuss first."

#

Lieutenant Davis sat back and closed his notepad, glancing at Mick and Beth, standing behind Leni's couch as he did so. "All right, Leni. I'm convinced. Everything you told me corroborated with St. John's statement."

He leaned forward. "But now we have to consider your safety. For both you and your son. I think witness protection -"

"No. Not in a million years." Leni shook her head. "I came to Mick because I trust him. I feel safer with him."

Mick stepped forward. "And my friend said the full services of his house and staff are at our disposal. They'll be fine."

Davis shook his head as he rose to his feet. "And I know Novak pretty much questioned having her set up in unauthorized housing, and look where we are now."

He stared at Leni for several seconds before coming to a decision. "All right," he said finally. "She can stay here. But I'm posting some uniforms on the grounds."

Hearing no objections, Davis gave a short nod before walking out of the living room, followed closely by Ryder. They walked past Simone who entered and gestured to Mick for him to follow her.

Once he and Simone were safely out of earshot, he looked at the lawyer expectantly. "What is it?"

Wordlessly Simone held out to him a cordless phone. He gave it a puzzled look before taking it. "Who is this?"

"Mick, thank God!" Coraline sounded relieved at the sound of his voice. "When I saw the police all around your building, I ... I didn't know what to think."

"Coraline." He gave Simone a small nod and took several steps away from her. "I've been calling you all afternoon. Where are you?"

"I'm arranging transportation to fly back to France tonight," she said. "But ... I need your help."

"My help?"

"Yes. I need your help in having my brother released."

\- Chapter 10 -


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

 _Coraline's revelation months ago regarding her brother Lance still bothers me._

 _Hell, the whole freaking relationship bothers me._

 _To think the two are a part of the bloodline of King Louis XVI is unimaginable and incomprehensible, but after a wedding night gone wrong, followed by over thirty years of back and forth, culminating with Coraline's supposed "death" and resurrection, somehow I shouldn't feel surprised._

 _I haven't seen the two together since my first hour of humanity after I absorbed the compound, the "Mortal Cure" … into my bloodstream. Obviously that is not the case now._

 _Still, even with Lance stretched on a metal table still staked and Coraline guarded by two of the Cleaner's staff, I tuned myself to be ready for any and everything._

Josef gazed down on Lance's paralyzed form and whistled. "I'm surprised after the story you told me about the fire that he hasn't pulled the stake out yet, Mick."

He turned to the Cleaner, standing beside Mick with her arms crossed. "I say burn him and bag the ashes."

Mick shook his head. "We don't know who's probably waiting for him in Paris."

He glanced at Coraline. "If he turns up missing, all signs will point back here. Our secrets, our lives, our _friends_... will be threatened."

Josef sighed as he shook his head. "Is he secure?" he asked, gesturing to the restraints binding Lance's wrists and ankles.

The Cleaner nodded. "The chains are titanium. He can't break them. No vampire can."

Josef turned back to Mick. "Are you sure this is the route to take? Personally I'd much rather dump him in the tar pits than let him live on one second longer in this plane of existence."

"You need to lay off the pits for at least a decade, Josef." Mick walked in the cell and leaned over, grasping the stake in his right hand. Taking one last look into Lance's solid black right eye, he snatched the wood from the vampire's chest.

Lance shot upright, his face contorted in anguish as the hole near his sternum quickly healed. He snarled at Josef and Mick as he struggled in his chains. "I will have all of your heads!"

Josef held up a hand. "You have a decision to make, my friend. You can listen, make up your mind and you can go with my suggestion or ..."

He glanced at the Cleaner who nodded and gestured to another of her group dressed in dark street clothes. He walked over to a side door which she opened and signaled outside.

Lance closed his eyes as the first hint of decayed musk struck him, his entire body pulling against his bonds to no avail. "Nooooo!" he screamed, "He will kill me! He will most certainly kill me!"

His eyes fluttered opened as his left eye focused on Mick who unconsciously lean forward to look at him more closely.

 _Is he ... afraid?_

Josef certainly noticed the look. "Oh he must have sensed the arrival of every vampire's favorite worldly Archivist, one extremely pissed-off Magnus McClane and ... is that a _sword?"_

Nearly two meters of muscle squeezed into a white buttoned shirt and long black coat, McClane stepped past Mick and Josef to stand a foot from Lance's table. His long broadsword rested tip first on the concrete in front of his Italian loafers as he gazed down at the restrained vampire with a mixture of disgust and contempt.

Josef whistled to himself. "As I was saying, you can agree to our terms or you can be taken from here by the Archivist ... and never be heard from again. We're all kind of mad around here about the release of that list to the Los Angeles district attorney's office so ... " he smirked as he glanced at McClane's sword. "I hope the latter is chosen. How about you, Magnus ol' chap?"

in response, McClane reared back his sword high over his head. Lance closed his eyes in anticipation of a death blow but the Archivist slammed the blade deep into the concrete. The impact echoed throughout the warehouse they occupied as he straightened and dusted his hands off. " _Aye_. I'll make sure a special section in the memoriam annals is reserved for him."

As Josef and McClane spoke, Mick walked over to his ex-wife. The two women flanking her stepped back to give them a sense of privacy as the two stood staring at each other for several seconds in silence. Mick finally crossed his arms and started to speak but Coraline raised a hand.

"I don't want to hear how you can justify spinning this, Mick," she said. The frustration was evident both on her face and in her voice. "You have my brother restrained against his will _in chains_ and me guarded like I'm a common criminal!"

"What am I supposed to do, Coraline? I have three cops dead in an alley by my building. He put two humans in danger, and not to mention sent that damned list to Talbot. We weren't going to let him run rampant all over Los Angeles jeopardizing innocent lives. And you did just take out Cynthia. You took out your best friend."

He started to turn away from her but stopped the motion midway as if he had remembered something. "The only reason you're not like him all chained up is because of what you did in warning us, and also for your help in Detroit. But it still doesn't excuse the fact that the last time I saw you and your brother together, he's tossing me through car windows and dumpsters! A _brother_ that in the near six decades I have known you, _I never knew you had!"_

He shook his head several times. "And who was he talking about? That night? Who was _he_? Who is this person you both are so afraid of?"

Coraline's eyes widened at Mick's outburst. She started to speak but stopped for a second before taking a deliberate step back, her lips parted in clear surprise as she exhaled audibly and closed her eyes tightly for three seconds before reopening them. Mick thought he saw a flicker of gray before they quickly changed to her original dark brown shade.

"You're listing all my crimes and mistakes I made," she whispered. "I'm surprised you didn't bring up me kidnapping Beth all those years ago as well."

Mick flinched slightly at the mention of his love's name. "The thought crossed my mind," he said. "I was afraid if I brought it up, I'd make sure I finished what I started all those years ago in that house fire."

He turned around as Josef and McClane approached. McClane's broadsword remained impaled in the cement floor behind them. "Well?"

Josef looked over at Coraline. "You and your brother get an all-expense paid flight complimentary of Kosten Airlines out of here. Tonight. He's walking out chained and will remain as such until the plane lands and he disembarks."

A clearly surprised Coraline looked first at Mick before settling on Josef. "In exchange for what?"

"He is exiled from Los Angeles on pain of death." Josef's gaze bore down on Coraline. "It doesn't apply to you, but make no mistake. He is _your_ responsibility. If he is seen, if he sends anyone under his employ, if he so much as thinks about Wikipedia-ing Los Angeles, I will throw the full weight of the vampire nation here against him ... and _you. You_ _both_ will suffer the consequences. Do I make myself clear?"

Coraline looked over at Mick who remained silent, so she simply nodded.

"In return for the promise not to carve him up, he told us how Talbot got the list," McClane said. "Confirmed what my employee told me he did for this Xavier-Davis lass. But we also found out _what he did._ "

Josef nodded. "He had a courier slip the list under Talbot's office door, then placed a call with our esteemed district attorney. That's the reason why he and Alexandra Sanders has been nosing around in our affairs for the past few days."

Mick clapped his hands. "Okay. So ... how do we handle the situation with Talbot to get him off our backs?"

Josef regarded his friend with a smile and a clap on his back.

"Oh, I have an idea. We need to take a trip to Sex Offenderville"

Talbot watched as the county examiner closed the door to the van. He sighed as he looked at his watch and then over to a police officer standing several feet away. "I want those bodies under close guard until they go under the knife. Understood?"

The officer nodded as Talbot felt his phone vibrate in his jacket pocket. He glanced at the unfamiliar number and frowned as he answered the call. "This is A.D.A. Talbot."

A woman's voice responded immediately on the other end. "A.D.A. Talbot, please stand by for the governor."

Talbot's eyes widened.

Leni checked in on Jack who slept soundly between two enormous pillows on the bed. She gave him a light kiss on his forehead before straightening with a frustrated sigh.

She rose and walked over to the desk where her tablet rested beside the bedroom cordless phone. Sitting down at the desk, she picked up her tablet and ran her finger along the security nodes on the screen to activate it.

The wallpaper displayed a picture of a smiling Leni holding a laughing young girl in her lap, clearly a scene of a happier time for both parties. Leni tried to duplicate the smile but only half succeeded.

"It's time I do my own investigating," she whispered as she reached for the phone, her eyes never straying from the screen as she dialed a number from memory.

The phone rang for what felt like an eternity without anyone picking up, and Leni's resolve began to lessen. She almost decided to hang up when the ringing abruptly ceased. "Hello?" a sleepy voice answered.

Leni almost dropped the phone at the sound of the girl's voice on the other end. She stammered slightly as she responded. "M - Mara, is ... is that you?"

Silence greeted her question for three seconds before the voice answered, almost all trace of sleep gone. "Leni? Leni Hayes?"

A huge smile broke out on Leni's face. She had to force herself not to scream for fear of waking the baby. "Oh, sweetheart, I'm sorry for waking you but I figured you would have your cell phone close by like always. I missed you so much! How are you doing?"

"I'm okay. I had my birthday a week ago. You missed it."

A pang of regret stabbed at Leni's heart. "I'm sorry, sweetheart. It ... just wouldn't have been safe for me to call you or anything. But I do have something for you. It's not much. I'll make sure I'll find a way to get it to you, okay?"

"Okay."

Leni glanced over at Jack, still sleeping on the bed several feet away. "Mara, are you alone?"

Mara giggled at the question. "I'm upstairs in my room, silly!"

Leni gave a sigh of relief that she tried to turn into a laugh. "I thought so, being so late. But anyway, did you have a great birthday?"

"Yeah," said Mara. "But I honestly thought you were coming, My aunt said you were."

At that admission, Leni froze. When she spoke again, her voice cracked. "Your ... aunt said ... I was coming?"

"Yeah." Mara did not notice the change in the older woman's voice. "I overheard her talking about it a week before my party. I think she was mad that you didn't showed. She was yelling at some men who worked for her about it."

Leni reached her free hand up to her throat as she forced herself to calm down. _What would Mick do?_ she thought to herself.

 _Get more information!_

With a renewed focus, Leni returned her attention back to the phone conversation. "Mara, you have to promise me that you will not tell anyone that you spoke to me, okay?"

"Okay, but when can I see you?"

"Soon, sweetie. Hopefully very soon. I'll let you get some sleep but first ... I need you to tell me everything about your aunt."

\- Chapter 11 -


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

#

Mick shook his head and chuckled to himself. "I swear, Leni, you must have me slated for a death wish. First the desert and now ... making a call to the daughter of the man who might be trying to kill you? What were you thinking?"

"I - I wanted to ... find some information out for myself, Mick." Leni's eyes moistened slightly as she stood in front of him. "And I also wanted to wish Mara a happy birthday. I missed it last week."

Mick started to say something but Beth, sitting beside him, laid a hand on his arm. "Mick, Josef's phone lines are secure. They would have to have some serious tech to trace the call here. _And_ she did bring us some helpful information."

She pointed to the piece of paper Mick held in his hand as she smiled up at Leni. "I think what you want to say to Leni is "thank you."

Mick grimaced at Beth but slightly melted in her soft blue eyes. "Fine," he growled as he looked up at Leni and gestured with his eyes to a spot beside him on Josef's poolside couch.

"Thank you. Sit. Now."

Once Leni made herself comfortable, Mick looked up at Josef, standing off to the side conversing with Simone. "Is she fine staying here?"

Josef nodded. "I just called for extra security so she's good to go. Plus Ryder is staying here installing some new cameras so ... she'll be fine. For as much time as it takes."

"Okay then." Mick slapped his knees and rose to his feet, pulling Beth up with him "I'm going to the office to look up this woman online and turn in. I ... I need some sleep."

He looked down at Leni and pointed at her. "Try to behave yourself until morning, okay?"

Leni shot him a sarcastic smile.

#

Beth entered the office with two mugs in hand; one with coffee, and one with A positive plasma. "Find anything?"

Sitting at his desk computer, Mick nodded. "Vanessa Fayed. The younger half-sister of Amir Fayed. Vanessa's mother is American. Has a law background. Graduated from Stanford and making the high end of six figures easy."

Beth handed him his mug and leaned over his shoulder. "Okay, so why try to restart a gunrunning empire, especially after older brother is in jail for that plus being an accessory to murder?"

Mick opened a new window on the monitor featuring an article of Fayed's trial. "Well, when Josh was working the case, he shut off a major supplier in Fayed but couldn't guarantee it was closed down completely with his arrest and sentencing. My guess is she wasn't part of it with Amir before he went down for murder."

He glanced up at Beth. "Pouring this didn't gross you out?" He indicated his mug.

"I held my nose and eyes shut," she smiled.

Mick grinned as he pointed at a paragraph on the screen. "See? Fayed never did give up _his_ suppliers. Chances are they moved over to side with the younger sister when she developed an interest."

Beth nodded. "All right. So, we call Carl?"

Mick shook his head as he turned the monitor off and drained his mug. "Tomorrow first thing. Right now I am hours overdue for some freezer time."

He rose and stared down at Beth with a sympathetic look on his face. "I promise once we get this situation with Leni resolved, we are getting out of town. Anywhere you want to go."

Beth smiled up at him. "My choice?"

Mick feigned a grimace. "Well, there _are_ certain considerations," he began, but stopped as he dodged a playful punch from Beth.

"Not funny, Mick!" She threw another jab which was caught in a gentle but unbreakable grip. Mick pulled her into his embrace and bent down for a kiss but Beth beat him back, giggling while she covered his mouth with a cupped hand.

"Hey! Rinse out your mouth first!"

#

"This is unexpected."

Alexandra Sanders stepped back to admit Talbot into her home. "So, what do I owe this late night visit, Ben? You do realize it's past midnight."

Talbot stepped into the foyer without so much as a backward glance, causing Sanders to frown as she closed the door. Making sure her silk robe was tied tightly around her waist, she slowly turned around.

"Ben, what's wrong? You look as if you saw a ghost."

At that remark, Talbot turned to face his host. "No," he said slowly. "I saw the governor."

At that, Sanders' eyes widened. "The governor? What ... why did you -"

"The list." He slapped the back of his right hand into the palm of his left for emphasis. "Every single name on there, from Anders to the Monaghans, from Kostan to St. John, even the medical examiner! They're all ... campaign contributors."

Sanders stifled a chuckle. "Campaign contributors? Really?"

Talbot shrugged as he looked hurriedly around. "The governor got a call from Kostan saying that his financial records were searched, and that he traced it back to me. I don't know how the trail pointed to me but I couldn't deny it. Even the irregularities I pointed out, he didn't want to hear it. I thought that your techs were the best in covering their tracks. How could they have messed this up? The governor is threatening to have me disbarred, for God's sakes!"

Sanders walked over and pulled him by the arm into the kitchen. She steered him to a stool by the central breakfast island and walked over to the refrigerator. "Okay, I'll take the hit for my techs. Believe me, I'll light a fire underneath my whole cybertech team later. In the meantime, the Ben Talbot I know wouldn't just quit or sit on something like this. What are you going to do?"

Talbot shrugged as he accepted the beer Sanders handed him. "I don't know. Drop it for now, I guess. I just got a new case where three uniforms and one of my investigating detectives were killed tonight. All hands on deck for this one."

Sanders took a long pull from her beer and watched Talbot as he sighed and slid his beer on the counter from one hand to the other. "Well, I've already got a lot going on St. John and Kostan. I think I'll poke the bear a little bit. See what I'll turn up."

Talbot straightened as if he was going to protest but sighed again and took a sip of beer. "As long as my name isn't implicated in whatever you find or however you find it, I don't care, Alex."

"You have my word, Counselor." Sanders reached over to tap her bottle against Talbot's. "You have my word."

Talbot nodded and took another swallow before sliding the bottle away. "Thanks for the beer. And the talk. I appreciate it."

The two walked arm in arm until they stood at the door. Talbot reached for the knob and glanced down at Sanders for a second before bending down and kissed her ravenously. She reciprocated, pulling close to him and savoring the taste of his lips.

When they finally parted, Talbot leaned close to where their foreheads touched. He gazed into Alex's hazel colored eyes. "Remember that trip we took to that bed and breakfast in Santa Barbara about six years ago?"

"Do I?" She smiled as she draped her arms around his neck. "Four days without leaving the room."

"We left it once. Remember that couple we met?"

She laughed. "We met them at check-in and we all went for an early dinner. We weren't even in the room twenty minutes before we left. The point when we never left the room was _after_ we got back. Doesn't count."

Talbot smiled and kissed her again. "Want to try it again? I mean, after we clear our schedules, of course."

The smile on her face brightened even more. "I think I might like that."

He returned the smile and opened the door. Kissing her once more, he stepped through the exit and down the driveway to where his sedan awaited him at the end where he turned to look back at the house. She saw Sanders standing in the door watching him and gave her a short wave. She returned the wave before closing the door. The interior of the house went dark seconds later.

Talbot opened his car door and slid in the front seat, placing his phone in the cup holder before sliding his key into the ignition. Before he turned it, a viselike grip slammed across his throat. He instinctively slammed his right hand across the wrist in an attempt to break the hold to no avail as he was dragged out of the car with relative ease.

A brown-haired male, muscular in stature and standing three inches taller than Talbot, stared at him with a deep growl emitting from his throat. His grayish face and eyes bored a hole through Talbot as he pulled the struggling assistant district attorney close.

"You helped plant the seeds, Mr. Talbot. The seeds to bring about the destruction of the vampire nation in Los Angeles. For that, I thank you."

With a deft twist of his wrist, the vampire snapped Talbot's neck. His struggles instantly ceased, arms falling limply to his sides.

The vampire allowed the body to slide to the ground and started to pull back from the vehicle but paused for a second before reaching down and pressed the trunk release button. He then straightened and brushed his hand across his chest as if discarding a soiled article of clothing and softly called out, "Anthony."

A smaller man dressed in a rumpled suit stepped out from the shadows and halted his approach behind the car clearly frightened and agitated. "You said you weren't going to hurt him!"

"Plans have changed, my friend." The vampire snapped his fingers over his left shoulder while still looking at him. "But ... this human will still prove to be very useful."

Two men dressed in cleaning overalls exited a dark van parked across the street and quickly removed Talbot's body from the ground as the vampire continued. "The list is irrelevant. I no longer care about it. But there are several here who still warrants my special attention. One above all in particular."

The two men watched as Talbot's body was placed in the back seat while his briefcase and other items were thrown callously in the trunk. One of the men started to toss the attorney's cell phone in but the boss held his hand out for it.

"When I'm done here, take this car and park it not too far from the building," he said to Anthony as he began keying in a text. "Leave the body in the back and make sure it's wiped clean of any prints inside and out."

Anthony nodded. "And what about you?"

"What about me?" He gave Anthony a menacing smile. "I will execute Phase 2."

#

Wrapping a towel around her wet hair, Beth exited Mick's bathroom and grabbed one of his shirts. She buttoned it as she tiptoed past the room where Mick was resting in his freezer and headed downstairs to where the television remote rested on the couch and pressed the power button with her index finger.

The screen powered on displaying a female reporter standing at the entrance of a restaurant Beth was familiar with. She glanced at the screen for a second as she walked over to the refrigerator and grabbed a water bottle. Twisting the top off and setting it on the counter, she made her way back to the couch and sat down as she grabbed the remote again and increased the volume.

The reporter indicated a spot behind her marked by police tape. "The body was found in a parked car a little after six this morning at a local breakfast eatery. Preliminary reports by the officers indicate that the neck may be broken. No other marks on the body indicate any kind of defensive struggle."

Beth frowned as she took a long pull from her bottle. Her eyes stayed on the screen as it switched over to a photo of a man standing behind a table in a courtroom.

Beth shot forward in the edge of her seat as she recognized Ben Talbot in the photograph on the television. "No," she whispered. "No no no no..."

She glanced over to the side as Mick rushed downstairs, his cellphone in his hand as he shrugged on a T-shirt. He glanced at the television for a second and gave Beth a grave look as he asked, "Are you sure, Guillermo?"

"No doubt about it, bro," the medical examiner said through the phone's speaker. "The smell ... it has a lot of decay around it, and _that's_ just on the parts of the body that wasn't touched."

Beth started to ask a question but Mick silenced her with a quick hand gesture. "Can you gauge how old?"

The time Guillermo took before answering made both Mick and Beth worry. "I've hung around Josef a few times, so I have to use him as an example since he's older than you and me put together twice over. If I did that, Mick ... this bastard has to be the oldest out there. I compared it with the scent I caught on the cops pulled from behind your building last night and I'm thinking it's the same guy."

Mick's eyes widened at Guillermo's response. "Uh ... o-ok, Guillermo, " he muttered. "I'll be there in a half-hour." He pressed the END CALL button and sighed as he looked back at Beth. "You heard."

Beth gave a slow nod. "What's wrong?"

Mick slid his cellphone in his back pocket and indicated for Beth to sit. She complied as Mick kneeled in front of her and reached for her hands, looking into her blue eyes.

"Beth, Talbot was killed ... by a vampire."

\- Chapter 12 -


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

#

Several people stood in front of the gray casket with their heads bowed in prayer, while others conversed in front of a large photograph of Talbot accepting his law degree. Beth recognized the state district attorney and the chief of police standing several feet away with the mayor and a older couple she could only surmise to be Talbot's parents.

Standing besisde Mick underneath a large shaded tree, Beth took in the somber scene. "Two district attorneys killed within months of each other, Mick." She looked to her right at another section of the cemetery fifty yards away.

"This is getting out of hand."

Mick shaded his eyes and followed Beth's gaze. "You miss him? Josh?"

Beth turned to smile up at Mick. "You and Josh have similar qualities. You're dedicated. Loyal. You both love your work, -"

"And you," whispered Mick, smiling back.

"- but Josh could be pig-headed and overbearing to a fault," continued Beth without missing a beat as she turned back to the gravesite. "You can be like that sometimes."

Mick gave her an amused look. "Pig-headed?"

Beth laughed and started to say something to placate Mick but the sight of a familiar figure exiting his car parked with the row of vehicles on the road forced a change of topic. "There's Carl. I thought he would be here for the service."

Mick did not answer. His attention was focused on Alexandra Sanders as she walked up alone to the front of the casket. Her red hair flowed over a simple black pants suit as she bowed her head as if in prayer for several seconds. She then lifted her chin and placed a rose on the casket before she turned around, covering her red-rimmed eyes with large sunglasses as she navigated through the lingering crowd.

"Earth to vampire. Come in."

Mick looked down at Beth. "What? Oh, sorry. I was just thinking about Alex Sanders. Davis said she was the one who found his body that morning. They were suppose to meet for breakfast."

They fell silent when Lieutenant Davis made his way through the headstones to their spot under the tree. "Well, I got good news and I got bad news."

Beth squeezed Mick's hand. "I'll let you two talk. I want to go and express my condolences to Ben's parents."

"Wait, Beth." The lieutenant stopped her. "This is as much for you as it is for Mick. For you probably twice as bad."

Mick folded his arms. "How's that, Davis?"

Davis glanced over his left shoulder at the slowly dispersing crowd. "Due to the scene here, let's start with some good news, St. John. I got you some one-on-one time with Fayed this afternoon. Hopefully he can shed some light on what's going on with his crazy sister."

"That's good news." Beth looked up at Mick and squeezed his arm. "Leni will be happy to hear that."

Mick nodded. "Okay, what's the bad?"

"Well, there's this." He pulled a billfold from inside his jacket and held it out for Beth. "The D.A. is aware of your resignation two days ago. He refused to accept it pending a full investigation into the murder of Assistant District Attorney Talbot."

"You're kidding me, Carl." Beth snatched the wallet from Davis. "Why am I stuck with the office? The man I was working for is barely cold in the ground."

"Not my call. But the feds wants all of us at the main office. Now."

Beth gave Davis a puzzled look. "Why us?"

Mick held up a hand. "Think about it, Beth. You said it yourself a few minutes ago," said Mick. He glanced at Talbot's grave and then looked over in the direction of Lindsey's final resting place.

"Two D.A.s killed within months of each other," he said. His eyes rested on Beth. "What do their deaths have in common?"

Beth looked up at him for a second before realization set in. She hooked her arm in his and drew herself closer. "Us."

#

The three entered the district attorney's office and were led by a receptionist to the main conference room on the ground floor. She gestured to the half opened door and left to go back to the front in silence.

Davis frowned at the woman's departure and looked at Mick and Beth, who stared back in mild confusion. Davis shrugged and rapped on the door with a knuckle before entering.

The conference table, large enough to comfortably seat twenty, only sat one person at its head. A woman, her brown hair pulled back into a ponytail, was writing into a notebook. Several manila folders sat neatly stacked next to her right elbow.

She looked up at their entrance and smiled, placing her pen down on the pad. "Lieutenant Davis. Miss Turner, and Detective. Thank you for coming." She rose from to her feet, a law enforcement badge and a holstered nickel-plated pistol clipped to her belt.

"Special Agent Natalie Stecker, FBI." She shook their hands in turn. "Los Angeles branch. The Bureau thanks you for coming in."

Stecker turned and walked back to the table but instead of reclaiming her seat, she moved to the opposite side of the table and pulled out the chair to the right of her original position. "Please, have a seat."

Once everyone was seated on the other side facing her, Stecker pulled her pad in front of her and looked down at it for a five count before raising her eyes to regard her guests. "As you probably already figured out, an investigation has been ordered into the murder of the late Benjamin Talbot."

Davis started to speak but Stecker cut him off with a wave of her hand. "I know what you're about to ask, and let me ease your fears right now. No one here has been implicated in any crime. Based on conversations I've had with your superiors, and despite past misgivings concerning Mr. St. John, all three of you are cleared."

Davis slowly leaned back in his chair as Stecker locked eyes with Beth, sitting in the middle of the men. "Beth Turner. Former reporter for _BuzzWire_ _ **.**_ Specialized in investigative reporting. Loved chasing the unique, extraordinary stories. I was a big fan until I found out you quit, by the way."

Beth shot a sideways glance at Mick before responding. "Uh, thanks."

"Several people here said that you and Josh Lindsey were a couple?"

Beth hesitated answering for several seconds, causing Stecker's expression to soften. "It's all right, Miss Turner. I know the subject must still be a hard one to approach."

Stecker referred back to her notepad for a second before looking to Beth's left at Carl. "Lieutenant Davis. You volunteered to be on A.D.A. Lindsey's investigation detail almost three years ago. Some say part of the reason his conviction rate jumped up into the ninety percentile was due to you hand picking your officers, your attention to detail, and dedication. I myself was disgusted when I read in the reports that you were put through the ringer all those weeks after his death for nothing."

Davis said nothing as Stecker looked back at Beth. "All three of you met up for the first time ... when exactly?"

Beth sat back with a thoughtful look, causing Mick to answer. "It involved the murder of two college girls, remember?"

Beth nodded. "Right. It was one of my first field stories. Actually, it _was_ my first. Carl was working the crime scene for the first girl's murder at the fountain and ... Mick appeared. Out of the blue."

Stecker smiled as she shifted her attention to Mick. "And the resourceful Mick St. John. Successful private investigator. Assisted the D.A.'s office on some very high profile cases. The Tierney Taylor murder. The Fordham kidnapping. The Fayed case, which ... to my understanding has seen some new developments, correct?"

Mick pursed his lips, trying to decide how information he should divulge. _I can't tell her that Leni is here. I wonder if Davis told her._

"We came across some information that shows Fayed's younger half-sister may be continuing his gun running," said Davis. "Nothing solid, but since Mick was familiar with the key witness and was vital in protecting her, I asked him to assist due to the inner office problems we had that would have prevented her from testifying earlier."

Stecker looked back down at her notepad and flipped a page. "Okay. Works for me. I don't want to get involved with any open cases you have going on unless it pertains to Lindsey or Talbot."

She closed her notebook and leaned back in her chair. "The main thing I am trying to figure out is why this office has lost two prosecutors within months of each other, and you three are at the heart of both of their murders. I know you are all very busy and I don't want to waste any more of your time than I have to so ... let's get started."

#

Three hours later, Beth and Mick stepped of the district attorney's office onto a busy sidewalk. Mick shielded his eyes from the mid afternoon sun as they walked over to Beth's car. Mick's vintage Mercedes rested behind her

"I don't think Josh had ever put me through an interrogation like that," said Beth as she removed her phone and keys from her purse. "And did she said we were cleared? It didn't feel like it."

Mick shrugged. "An investigation like this was bound to happen, Beth. I would have looked into it if I was any FBI agent."

Beth used her remote to unlock her car door, which Mick opened for her. She slid in and grasped his hand. "Are you still going to talk with Fayed?"

"I'm running late for my meeting with Carl at the prison now. You?"

Beth started to answer but was interrupted by her cell phone ringing in her hand. "I guess I will be answering this call. My place later?"

Mick bent down to kiss her on the forehead before walking to his car as Beth made the connection. He unlocked his car door and slid inside. Seconds later he navigated the Mercedes from its spot past Beth's car to the light at the end of the road.

Unbeknownst to Mick, a man sitting in a vehicle several spots down and on the opposite side of the street in a late-model Crown Victoria witnessed their exchange. Wearing dark shades, he took several pictures with a small digital camera of the two until Mick drove past.

Satisfied with the shots he acquired, he reached for his cell and keyed in a simple text.

 **We need to meet.**

\- Chapter 13 -


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

#

Beth walked up to the _BuzzWire_ front desk where she presented her ID to the receptionist who stared at it nonchalantly for several seconds until she saw the name.

"Miss .. uh, Miss Turner," she stammered, grabbing her phone and dialing at the same time, glancing at the wall behind Beth. "You're expected! If you could wait for just a few seconds, I'll have a staffer come and bring you to the conference room upstairs."

Beth smiled and slid her identification back into her purse as the receptionist spoke to a person on the other end of the line. She turned back towards the front doors and saw a large picture of her reporting online for one of her earlier stories.

 _Was that for the story of the college professor who was teaching vampirism? I can't remember. It seemed like a lifetime ago._

"Beth?"

The voice shook her out of her reverie, turning her around. "Yeah? Oh! Hi, Faith!"

Faith Pearson gave her a warm embrace and stepped back, taking the sight of her in. Her long brown ponytail hung through a Los Angeles Clippers ball cap. "You look like you lost some weight! Have you been taking care of yourself?"

"Well, I would think I've gained some weight, with the late hours camped up here forgetting to eat and everything." Beth smiled at her friend. "And something tells me you're going to try to bring me back into that same madness."

Faith shrugged. "Well, I do have a speech of sorts. One that I think you would like." She glanced at her watch and then gestured towards the elevator. "Do you have a few minutes to hear me out?"

Beth hesitated, her mind swirling with misgivings on what any decision she make may bring her. She glanced over her shoulder at the picture hanging on the wall doing what she did best.

She turned back to Faith. "Why not?"

#

"It all started with Grant Lewis' firing last month." Faith set a coffee cup down on the conference table in front of Beth. "Straight, right?"

Beth nodded. "Thanks. Why did Grant get fired? Last I heard, _BuzzWire_ was tops in viewership and blogs."

"True. That's what people on the outside knew. But inside, we were getting slammed."

Faith sat down on the other side of the circular table. "You remember that big speech Lewis gave his first day taking over for Maureen? About if it's not fact, we'll do a retraction? It was like the walls of Jericho fell down and all the riff raff came rushing in. Reporters basically lying in their stories. Photos being digitally altered. Fake witnesses. One reporter even had the nerve to print up a story about a rap artist getting killed in east L.A.! How was that possible if that same rap artist was at a concert in Florida?"

Beth's eyes widened. "Wow. It had gotten that bad?"

"Yep. And the blowback was the straw that broke the camel's back. I edited a web broadcast a week before Grant's firing. Hour-long show. Forty-seven minutes of it was dedicated to retractions alone. _Forty-seven!_ And that was just for the stories we were called out about by lawyers who threatened to sue. If it was everything, we would still be apologizing."

Faith took a second to sip her coffee. "Anyway, when ownership got wind of all the retractions and the pending lawsuits, they started damage control and finally canned Lewis. And not a minute too soon because I was preparing to walk out that very same day."

"Faith, I just can't picture you walking out on _BuzzWire_. Especially after Maureen was killed. You two were the ones who built this place."

Faith regarded Beth with a sad smile. "Maureen and I started around the same time here four years ago and worked our way up quick. She was … sneaky, to say the least. But you want to know what I thought kept her honest?"

Beth gave her a quizzical look. "What?"

Faith pointed at her. "You. Your thoroughness, your dedication to finding the facts and sticking with your gut to following it through. Oh, I know Maureen wanted to be gossipmonger first, but one thing that impressed her was that you reminded her of what real journalism was all about."

Faith took another sip and set her mug down, locking eyes with the younger woman. "Like I said, I was pretty close to walking out of here the day Lewis was canned. You want to know how close? Ten minutes. Ten. I had my notice typed up and was preparing to walk it to his office. That was when the owner came in and told me of Grant's termination. I felt like doing a shot after that. Actually, I did just that."

She reached for a sheet of paper on the table and began running her finger down it. "Eight reporters, six cameramen, and two photographers. Canned in two days because of the shadiness and pending lawsuits, some of which I got dismissed by the grace of God. I cleaned house."

"After the dust settled, the owners came in to talk with me about our options. They were impressed with how quickly I got rid of the dirt bags and everything so they offered to pull the 'interim' from my title. Beth, my background is web-editing and digital photography. I have some management experience but ... not enough to look over all the different moving parts. And I'm not as well known as Maureen was ... or you are."

 _And here we go,_ thought Beth. She straightened in her chair and gestured at the paper. "It seems you did get a lot done in a short period of time, Faith. My question now is ... why am I am here?"

#

Robin, Sanders Securities' head receptionist, entered Alex's dimly lit office. A floor lamp in the corner provided just enough illumination for her to get around the circular coffee table. She could see Alex's large black purse on one of the couches with its contents spread out on the floor.

The large chair behind the desk was turned facing the wall and Robin could hear the mournful lyrics of "My Immortal" playing on the laptop as she stood with a tablet in one hand and a folder in the other. "Alex? I have the information you requested."

Alex did not respond nor turn the chair around to face her, so Robin switched the tablet to her left hand and opened the folder. "Our tech guys checked out Mr. Talbot's phone at the time when he had sent that text to you about meeting for breakfast. The signal bounced off a tower a mile from your house. The phone company was contacted and they provided information stating the originating point for that message was your house. Or a point one to two hundred yards from it."

Robin paused to await any acknowledgement which she did not receive, so she looked down at the folder to continue. "I took past text messages you had of Mr. Talbot's and had them analyzed and compared with the last text. Based on their findings, our office is saying with seventy-eight percent probability that Mr. Talbot did not send that message to you."

At that news, Alex's chair slowly turned around until it and its occupant faced Robin who gasped and involuntarily took a step back from the desk. She quickly regained her composure and stepped back. "Alex? Are you alright?"

Alex sat slouched in her chair with mascara almost completely coating her cheeks. A bottle of Jack Daniel's was in her grasp, nearly empty save enough to fill the cap. Another bottle, truly empty, sat on the credenza beside a framed picture of happier times; her and Ben Talbot standing and smiling in front of a bed and breakfast.

Her other hand grasped a nickel-plated .22.

Robin glanced down at the weapon and then at her boss who stared back up at her as if she was unpleasantly aroused from a deep slumber. She slowly placed her tablet and folder on the desk and held her hands up in a non-threatening gesture as she took two steps to the side of the desk. Her eyes never broke contact with Alex's as she said, "Alex, I know you miss your friend. A lot of us know he meant a lot to you in some way. I look at you now and can tell that you are in so much pain and I feel for you."

She took two more steps as she pointed at the gun. "But whatever you're planning on doing with that gun, it's not the way and you know it."

Alex made no motion as Robin took one more step until she was within arm's length of her and the pistol. She did not dare go any further, knowing that the former Marine was very capable of handling a weapon in any type of condition.

Still, she held a hand out for Alex and the weapon. "Alex, please give me the gun," Robin pleaded. "Please."

Alex slowly rose from her chair, eyes still locked with Robin's throughout the entire motion. She only looked down at the gun in her hand when she straightened.

"Ben's killer sent that message to me," Alex whispered. She turned the gun in her hand and then looked again at Robin. "It was sent in front of my damn house. It was sent after he was killed."

Robin nodded. "The timing when everything occurred fits."

Alex turned back to face her desk, tapping the gun on its desk as she said, "I want our best investigators on this, Robin. Whatever they're working on, bury it. I want the full resources of Sanders Securities into finding Ben Talbot's murderer. Do you understand?"

Alex hefted her pistol once more as Robin held her ground and her breath. After several tense seconds, Alex placed the weapon on her desk. She then reached inside a side drawer for a makeup compact and grimaced when she saw her face in the small mirror.

"I look like a hot mess."

\- Chapter 14 -


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Mick followed Lieutenant Davis into the prison welcome center where they presented their identification to the desk sergeant. He scrutinized them carefully before handing them back and slid two visitor passes and a green logbook in front of Davis. "Sign in under today's date, Lieutenant. If you're carrying any weapons, the guard will show you where you can get them locked up."

Davis signed the logbook followed by Mick, and a female guard escorted them further into the building. She led them into a long room with glass doors at the end leading outside. The only occupant was a guard behind a table and two computer monitors who rose to his feet. He easily had fifty pounds and four inches on both of them.

"Welcome to Dallows Prison. I'm Corporal Watts," he said as he pointed to a row of small opened lockers resting on another table beside him. "You can either lock up your weapons in separate lockers or share. Your call."

Davis looked over at Mick. "I don't think I ever seen you carry," he said, unholstering his service revolver and ejecting the magazine. He pulled the handle back and the round chambered flipped in the air. Mick stretched out and caught the ejected round even before it started to make its descent.

"Sometimes I do. But I found that guns actually start more trouble than end it in my line of business," he said as he dropped it into Davis' hand.

Davis shrugged and placed everything in the locker. Watts walked over and locked it with a small padlock he pulled from his pocket and placed a tag around it. He wrote Davis' name and visitor badge number on the tag and hung the key on a tackboard behind him. "Who're you here to see?"

"Amir Fayed," said Davis, pulling a folded piece of paper from an inner jacket pocket. "1489453."

Watts nodded and picked up a phone. "This is Watts at check-in. Bring 1489453 to the main office."

He hung up the phone and nodded to Davis. "He's in our max security ward so it will be a few minutes. You can wait in the lounge area. Back out past the front doors and down the hallway to the left. I'll come get you when he's in our interview room."

Davis nodded and looked at his watch. "I'm overdue for some coffee. Want one?"

Mick pulled his phone from his jacket. "I'm going to make a call and check on our special guest, but thanks."

They both walked back to the lobby where they separated at the front desk. Davis continued on to the lounge while Mick stepped outside, coming to a halt under the long shaded canopy leading to the parking lot. He dialed Josef's number and waited while looking to the left at the watchtower sixty feet away where a guard with a sniper rifle surveyed a corner of the fenced-in prison yard.

The phone clicked on the other end. "Well, it's about time," growled Josef. "Do you know how the cries of a baby is to a vampire like a dog whistle is to dogs?"

"I'm surprised you haven't said anything about runny diapers or baby formula in your fridge." Mick started to laugh but a ghastly thought came to him. "You did move your stash, did you?"

"Five minutes before she showed up. Really? You think I'm that irresponsible?"

"This is coming from the man who called four freshies to my house just hours after an assassination attempt on his life, so anything's possible." Mick sighed. "We're waiting on Fayed to come up from maximum security now. How's she doing?"

"Swimming in the pool while Simone looks after the kid. I have to admit, Mick. I'm surprised after the desert and everything that has happened over the past few days that you haven't told her anything. She seems like she would accept it."

Mick's jaw dropped. "Are you kidding? Every time a secret involving the vampire nation is about to be exposed, who do you call? You're lucky I don't send you an invoice."

"Drop it off at the tar pits, my friend. Wait a minute. Simone, what is that white liquid on the baby's chin? Don't let it touch that leather!"

Mick smiled as he disconnected the line and slipped the phone into his jacket and walked back inside. Davis was walking from the lounge area on the heels of Corporal Watts. "He's ready."

#

Amir Fayed gestured indifferently with his manacled hands and smiled. "Gentlemen, your trip here today is pointless. If my family took over where I left off with my … business, I know nothing of it. I have been in maximum security since my arrival last year while I await trial for other charges."

Mick and Davis glanced at each other. "We'll check into that," said the lieutenant. "So you issued no commands to your sister."

" _Half-sister._ We haven't been close since my incarceration, though my daughter adores her aunt Nessie." Fayed leaned close. "You can check with the warden yourself. Other than my legal representation, I have had no other visitors."

Mick focused on Fayed's heartbeat and his countenance for a long minute, ready to react at the slightest detected change. Finally he sighed and rose to his feet. "He's telling the truth, Carl. We have to find another way."

Fayed looked at Davis as he rose. "I remember you. You worked with that prosecutor. Lindsey is his name? Or … _was_ his name? I heard he was killed by a Mexican gang lord about seven months ago. Part of the reason why I have been in solitary for so long is that delay."

Davis' body tensed at the mention of Josh's name. He bit down a response and leaned in over the table to stare closely into Fayed's eyes. "I would be careful how you mention his name," he whispered. "Otherwise I'll throw you all around this room."

Fayed simply smiled. "Lieutenant, calm down! I meant no disrespect. I just find it odd of you two coming here to inquire about a business that I have nothing to do with it anymore, unless …"

He looked from Davis to Mick and back again, the smile widening as he clapped his hands in glee. "This is about _her._ All this is about … _her."_

Now Mick tensed. He almost reached across the table to snatch Fayed's throat out but the arms dealer shrugged and looked down at his hands. "Even though Leni's testimony ultimately did me in, I bear her no ill will. The circumstances of how she became involved are … unfortunate. But once it was done, it was done."

He looked up at Mick sadly. "I bear her no ill will because of one reason, Detective. My daughter, Mara. She loved that young girl and when I found out that my conviction was evident, I spoke to Mara about her. She was upset that Leni would no longer be her nanny, and she suspected that I had something to do with it. I didn't deny it. I had no choice but to be honest with her."

Mick glanced at Davis briefly before settling himself back into his seat. "How did she take it?"

Fayed gave him a small smile. "That is between me and my daughter. But one thing I assured her of was that Leni Hayes had nothing more to fear from me. I assure you now, Detective. If her life is in danger, it isn't because of me."

#

The iron gates slowly opened to admit a limousine onto the grounds. It journeyed up the driveway past manicured bushes and oak trees for a long moment until it slowed to a stop in front of a three-story mansion. Armed guards maintained watch on the lawn and close by the house.

A woman dressed in black slid from behind the wheel and walked to the back to open the door. A handsome man, his muscular frame bulging in a crisp navy blue suit exited the vehicle. He took in the sight of the guards with a smirk as he straightened the fedora on his head and walked up the steps to the double front doors. A guard close by opened one and the man entered.

He walked through the spacious foyer and the wide staircase and down a long hallway before pausing at opened sliding glass doors leading out to a veranda. At a circular table that could seat ten comfortably, a beautiful woman in her mid twenties sat alone. She sipped on a glass of wine while perusing through a tablet, her long, black hair hanging well past her shoulders to cascade over a red silk blouse.

The man removed his hat from his bald scalp as he approached the table and stood on the opposite side in respectful silence until the woman sat her tablet down on the table and looked up with a smile. "Ian Foster. Always a pleasure."

The man reached inside his jacket and handed her a black and white photograph. "We had to back off for twenty-four hours due to the amount of law enforcement, but we have reestablished our surveillance. Right now I have a man accessing their security capabilities and deciding on the best course of action."

The woman scrutinized the picture carefully. "When do you expect to move?"

"No later than this evening. We did note a weak point in their security at midnight last night and two nights before. I anticipate they should stick to the same plan."

"Excellent, Ian. Excellent." She placed the picture beside her tablet. "If everything goes according to plan, a twenty percent bonus will be added to your fee. Make your preparations."

Ian bowed slightly and moved to slide the woman's chair out as she got to her feet. She nodded her thanks and gestured to the doors. He bowed again and departed as she picked up her wine glass and drained its contents.

She sat it down on the table and glanced at her diamond-encrusted, platinum Rolex. Grimacing, she walked over to the edge of the veranda and looked down over the stone railing at the spacious pool in the back of the house. A young girl was sitting on one of the lounge chairs playing with a golden coated Great Dane that nearly matched her in height.

She yelled down to her, "Sweetheart! It's nearly time to leave to go to the school for the awards banquet!"

The girl looked up and nodded.

"Coming, Aunt Nessie!"

While Vanessa Fayed watched her niece Mara gather her pet to bring inside, a light breeze blew the photograph from its place on the table behind her. It twirled in the air for a second before settling in one of the empty chairs.

It was a picture of Leni and Jack.

\- Chapter 15 -


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Beth opened her eyes to the smell of bacon and eggs in the air. She grinned as she kicked the comforter off of her and swung her legs to the floor. Slipping on her bedroom shoes, she rose from her bed and opened the door into the living room.

"About time you got up," said Allison in greeting. She walked from the kitchen pouring a cup of coffee in a mug and held it out to Beth. "I went for a three mile jog, came back, showered, got your paper _and_ whipped up this breakfast spread, and you're just now crawling out of bed."

"Ah, yes. The civilian puke experience as my cousin in the Marines used to say." Beth accepted the steaming cup and sat down at the table to examine what Allison had prepared. "Scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, and hash browns! Wow! How much to hire you as my personal chef?"

Allison laughed as she set a plate in front of Beth and sat down across from her. "Consider this as payment for allowing me to crash on the sofa. I'm so ill about that apartment! I mean, I'm hardcore and all but I tend to shoot things if I see a rat. You should have seen this thing! He could have rappelled down from the ceiling like Tom Cruise!"

Beth scooped some eggs on the plate and followed with a healthy portion of hash browns and sausage. "Yeah, rats and I? No. But you're welcomed here as long as you want to stay. I'm just sorry we have no open spots available here but a lot of the tenants work minutes away in the new development with expanding businesses, shopping malls, et cetera et cetera."

"Well, as soon as I'm done eating, I'm gonna check out a few more spots and then head into work to fill out some paperwork." Allison reached for the hash brown skillet and used a fork to guide some onto her plate. "But I appreciate the offer. Still, single women need their space."

Beth steeled herself as she swallowed some eggs and looked at her friend. "Al, about your job. Promise me you'll be careful, okay? I don't know much about the company or this … Alexandra Sanders except Mick snatched a private security job from her, but this is Los Angeles. People will treat you like an afterthought to get what they want."

"Beth, I'll be okay." Allison smiled and patted her on the arm. "Sanders Securities is one of the most respected companies in California, and Alex Sanders is well known in her field. I should go far. But I appreciate the support."

"Okay." Beth took another bite of her eggs, this time mixed in with hash browns. "Hmm. This is good! Anyway, I myself got a job offer yesterday."

"Really? Where?"

" _BuzzWire._ This time as the editor-in-chief."

Allison nearly dislodged the sausage on her fork at the revelation. " _BuzzWire?_ From the last email you had sent me, you couldn't run out of that place quick enough."

"I know, but think about it. I would be in charge of the whole thing. Choose the subject matter _I_ want covered. No more chasing a Kardashian around town. None of that."

Allison said nothing as Beth took a sip of coffee and leaned forward. "I have a few days to think about it, and plus I want to talk it over with Mick as well."

"Yeah, tell your man this is what's gonna happen!" Allison laughed as she took another bite of her breakfast and glanced up at a wall clock. "Damn! I got to get dressed. I have to meet with the realtor in a half-hour."

Allison rose and began to pick up plates for the sink but Beth waved her hand away. "Go. You cooked. I'll clean. Get dressed."

"You rock, Beth." Allison smiled before turning towards the bedroom while Beth reached for the newspaper.

#

Alex Sanders sat down on the edge of her desk and crossed her arms. "Go."

Five men and women sat in her office on couches separated by a glass coffee table. Representing a combined fifty-three years of experience in various military, law enforcement, and private security fields, "The Old Guard," as she liked to call them, were gathered today for one task. Projects they were in charge of for weeks were put on hold with the exception of the Japanese expansion proposal. Even that project, which Alex had worked on herself for nearly nine months, was entrusted to her newly promoted executive assistant, Robin Leiter.

The Old Guard's sole mission now was to find the one who had a hand in Ben Talbot's murder.

Hayley Simms, her lead investigator, looked at the four other department heads to see if anyone would react first. Seeing no action, she turned back to Alex. "We all hit a dead end. I combed the site in front of your house and went over it every which way you can think of. I questioned the three neighbors you have who were pissed off that they had to be interrogated again, and by an investigator from a private security firm no less. L.A.P.D. refuse to allow access to Talbot's car."

Alex sighed and rubbed her forehead as if fighting a headache. "Okay, I got a few friends down there who owe me a favor or two so I'll get you in by tomorrow earliest. Maybe tonight. Do you have anything else?"

Hayley chose to look down at her phone. The other people remained silent, causing Alex to rise angrily to her feet. "Guys, I was doing this job _by myself,_ with a lot less and somehow managed to gather more information. Let me tell you now, it sucked. That's why I pay you all the big bucks. Provide you the initiative, the resources to go above and beyond to get me what I want!"

When no one answered, she exhaled audibly in disgust. "I guess I need to start draining bank accounts then. Everyone out."

Alex walked around her desk as the group rose to depart. She went to the small bar situated in the corner and poured herself a drink in a short glass. She looked out of the window briefly at the Los Angeles skyline with the Hollywood sign miles away but still visible and prominent in the background. The spectacular view she coveted when she first moved into the building was lost to her as she found her gaze drawn to the picture of her and Ben on her credenza.

Taking a long sip, she turned around and was startled to find Hayley still seated. The young woman continued to scroll through her cell phone, and Alex thought she heard "Angry Bird" game sound effects. "No offense but I thought I said _everyone,"_ she said as she walked over to the coffee table to grab her cell phone. "That also meant my lead pit bull who brought me nothing but table scraps today."

Despite the anger in Alex's tone, Hayley set her phone on her lap as she nonchalantly blew on her fingernails and brushed them on her shirt. Alex frowned and sat down in the couch to face her. "I know that look. You have something, don't you? Holding out on me? Have you lost your mind?"

Hayley laughed as she pulled a folder from her portfolio. "It has nothing to do with the Talbot investigation, but I think you will still find it interesting. I literally just got this minutes before walking in so to avoid a H.R. nightmare, I thought I'd keep it for your eyes only," she said as she handed it to Alex.

She opened it and flipped through several photographs. She scanned each one carefully, occasionally glancing up at Hayley who stared back grinning. "Where did you get these?"

"Well, some of our guys got the word to stand down on the surveillance with St. John and Kostan, but one kept up at it with the P.I. Did you see that one shot? I think it's the fourth or fifth one?"

Alex nodded and held it up, her eyes rolling in the back of her head as she slapped her forehead with her free hand in disgust. "For God's sakes, they were both together a couple of days ago! Ugh! I am slipping."

Alex placed the folder on the table as Hayley pulled a sheet of paper from her portfolio and went down it with the end of a pencil. "We did a background on everyone St. John and Kostan came across. Beth Turner, Carl Davis, the medical examiner, Simone Walker, just to name a few. But when I saw Turner and your new recruit together, I dug a little deeper."

Alex sat back in her couch and made a _come on_ gesture.

Hayley smiled "Since you asked so nicely. Our newest addition, Allison Lindsey, just so happens to be the younger sister of Ben Talbot's predecessor, the late assistant district attorney, Josh Lindsey."

Alex's mouth fell open at the news. She leaned forward and pointed hard at Hayley. "Woman, don't mess with me. Have you seen me on the pistol range? You're kidding me."

"I'm not joking, Alex! I can't make this up!"

Alex stared hard at the other woman for several seconds while drumming her fingers on her knee. She finally rose and walked to her office door in contemplation. "She starts in a few days, right? Monday?"

"In my department first thing."

Alex smiled as she glanced down at Allison's picture on the sheet. "She starts tomorrow, Hayley sweetheart. I want her on this. Now I know you like I know the back of my hand. Do you know where Allison is right now? This very minute?"

Hayley reached for the projector remote on the table and pressed the _on_ button. The company logo on the television screen by the door changed to a real-time view of the main conference room. The very subject of their conversation was seated at the table filling out documents while conversing with a representative from the human resources staff.

"Apparently she's having a little bit of a problem finding a decent, affordable apartment close by," said Hayley as Alex rose to move closer to the projection. "Then I remembered we have that bank manager that owes you a favor. The same bank that owns a very nice apartment complex approximately two point three miles from here. The same complex where twenty members of the staff currently live."

Alex took another sip of her drink and glanced over her shoulder. "I meant to ask. Why did you move out?"

Hayley shrugged. "I have bad habits."

#

Allison slid the folder across the table to the human resource representative and rubbed her forehead. "I feel like I signed my life away again. The Air Force didn't have this much when I first enlisted."

The rep laughed as she inspected the documents. "I'm sure they also didn't have you sign for four different weapons, three cell phones, two tablets - "

"And don't forget the partridge in a pear tree," finished Alex as she strolled in the conference room followed by a blonde woman dressed in jeans and tank top with a trucker's hat on her head. "Sorry but it was too perfect to pass up."

Allison stood up at Alex's sudden appearance. "Miss Sanders - I mean, Alex!"

Alex gestured for the staffer to leave as she took her seat while waving Allison back into hers. The other woman remained standing by the door. "I was finishing up a meeting when I heard my newest investigator was on deck. I hope the paperwork you had to fill out didn't bore you to death."

"Not at all. Just anxious to get started. Though I do need to squeeze in some apartment hunting pretty quick. I saw four and each of them looked like the remnants of crack houses. I think the second one was in a rap video I watched years ago before it was set on fire."

Alex glanced at the woman beside the door who finally moved to take a seat at the table beside Allison. "This is Hayley Simms. She's in charge of our primary investigation unit. Like you, like me, she is also prior military. Seven years in Naval intelligence. I snatched her up when she decided to resign her commission, right as I was looking into expansion."

Hayley leaned close to Allison and slid her a business card. "I think we can help with your apartment problem. Sarah is the manager of several complexes and has helped with temporary leasing. I'm sure you'll find what you're looking for."

Allison palmed the card. "Thanks. I appreciate it."

Alex leaned forward in her chair. "I know Monday is your official start date, but I was wondering if you wanted a jump start. Sanders Securities is taking on a high profile case and I'm putting Hayley on it. Since you're starting in her department, I want you to back her up. Everything concerning the case is still in the beginning phase so you really won't be far behind. It's basically just you and how quick you pick up on the learning curve which means I need you in here tomorrow. "

Allison looked from Alex to Hayley and back. "You need me here tomorrow? I'm here tomorrow."

#

Sitting alone in her office, Hayley shoved her laptop and several folders into a shoulder bag. She reached into her desk drawer for her pistol when the door opened. Alex stood at the entrance holding a folded piece of paper.

"I hope you don't have a hot date tonight," she said as she stepped forward. "I just got the call."

"Well, damn." Hayley sat down heavily in her seat with a feigned look of dejection on her face. "I was looking forward to a night of debauchery on the town."

"Knowing you, that was last night." Alex dropped the paper on the desk. "You'll never guess where you're going."

Hayley checked the chamber of her pistol and the safety before placing it on top of the sheet. "Have you seen _me_ on the range?."

"L.A.P.D. impound yard. I got you access."

Hayley's indifferent look gave way to one of surprise. "Color me shocked. Do I have enough to get it out of there or I have to get our findings on site?"

"You can't take it off-site, but you guys can do what you want while you're there. That sheet has the codes of prints in our system that they had already pulled and is in CODIS so if you see them again, you can dismiss them."

Hayley started to reach for the sheet but paused as she glanced up at Alex. "Wait a minute. _You guys?"_

Alex smiled as she played with a paperweight on the desk. "I was about to come down here when Allison called thanking you for the help with the apartment. She was so ecstatic that I just upped and asked her if she wanted to help out tonight."

"Oh come on, Al! I don't feel like playing nursemaid for the third-string. Cancel that. Practice squad."

Alex grinned and turned for the door. "The joys of being the boss."

#

Cell phone to ear, Mick stepped off the elevator onto Beth's floor with a grimace. "Listen, I don't think your boss would appreciate you wanting to kick a guest of his out of the house, Adrian. No matter how much the house reeks of baby formula."

Josef's assistant held a haughty tone of self importance as he spoke. "Mr. St. John, I'm sure that Mr. Kostan does not appreciate the heightened police presence on the premises. He has decided in order for him to fully enjoy the pleasure of Miss Walker's company without any interruptions, he will be staying at his penthouse tonight. That means that the grounds are my responsibility. A responsibility I take very seriously. But it does not include playing chaperone to a human and her spawn infant."

Mick sighed as he paused at Beth's door. "Look, I appreciate what you are doing. I really do. I'll tell you what. I have a connection at the morgue. He sets me up with my own supply. Tell me what's your favorite blood type and I'll have a bottle sent to you."

Adrian did not say anything, causing Mick to worry that he may had struck a nerve and offended him. "Uh, Adrian, I'm sorry. If I was out of line -"

"AB positive, sir. AB positive is my favorite.'

Mick smiled. "AB positive it is. You have my word."

Adrian paused for a second before conceding with reluctance. "Very well. I will continue to play watch for your human friend."

"Thank you, Adrian. I appreciate it, and please call me if anything happens, okay?"

"Yes, sir."

Mick disconnected the call with a small sense of triumph, knowing that with Adrian on duty watching Leni and Jack, he and Beth are free tonight. He knocked on the door with a renewed sense of purpose.

"It's open!"

Mick opened the door and entered the apartment. He looked around briefly but did see Beth, though her intoxicating scent was in the air. He inhaled deeply and smiling, he walked to the open patio door and peered outside.

Beth sat on the floor covered with a blanket and a open picnic basket beside her. She looked up and smiled. "Hi! I was wondering when you were going to show up."

"Just getting Adrian prepared for another night of babysitting." Mick crouched down and gave Beth a kiss before taking in the spread before him. "What is all this?"

Beth reached into a small cooler and pulled out a premade glass of Mick's plasma stock. "Remember when we had that picnic on the beach and on the rooftop of your building?"

Mick accepted the glass and took a sip. "How could I forget? The first one, I was actually able to eat."

#

Adrian handed the bag of takeout to Leni at her bedroom door. "Is there anything else you or Master Jack need tonight, Miss Leni?"

Leni closed her eyes as she caught a whiff of the aroma the bag was emitting. "I just have a question, Adrian. I know Josef lives here by himself but does he have _somebody_ to do some grocery shopping? The little bit of food that was here was gone days ago. I mean, I appreciate the takeout and everything. I can't believe some of these restaurants would even have a to-go menu. But maybe someday soon I could really go for a home cooked meal."

Adrian gave here a dry smile. "Mr. Kostan does not do much … entertaining, Miss Leni. When he does, it's usually catered and somewhere else. But I understand your predicament. If you provide a list, I'll make sure someone goes to market tomorrow and prepare you a nice meal. Does that meet your approval?"

Leni smiled. "And baby food, diapers and formula for Jack as well? I think I have two days left of everything before he's completely out."

Adrian pursed his lips as he cleared his throat. "And of course we'll pick up items for your child as well."

"Thanks, Adrian." Leni sat the bag down on the floor and reached into her pocket. She held out a neatly folded wad of cash to Adrian. '"This should cover everything."

Adrian looked down at the money but made no move to accept it. "Miss Leni, that isn't necessary. Mr. Kostan stated that you and your son are his guests. He'll be offended if he found out that you paid for anything."

He closed her hand over the money while reaching down for the bag. "I set the television up in your room to where you have all the movie channels and there's one of those horrendous tabloids in the bag as well."

"Great! A five-course takeout meal, my trashy mag, and Netflix!" She accepted the bag again. "Thanks, Adrian!"

She smiled as she backed in her room and closed the door. Adrian stood there for two minutes until satisfied that she was engrossed with the items in the bag before moving down the long hall. A minute later he walked in Josef's office where Ryder was sitting at a side table with his laptop.

"Good. You're here." Ryder gestured for him to come closer. "I count at least six police officers outside the grounds. Lieutenant Davis said that's all he could spare until morning because of some festival that's going on downtown."

Adrian looked over the layout of the mansion and the surrounding grounds before nodding with approval. "The Cleaner and her team are on the grounds. We should be okay for tonight if she comes inside."

"What do you mean _should be okay?"_ The vivacious redhead stepped from the shadowy corner of the office with a feigned perplexed look. "Oh ye of little faith."

Adrian slowly turned to the female vampire. "I have faith, my dear. I just hate for something to happen on the night when my employer decides to seek refuge elsewhere. You know how much of a stickler Josef Kostan is."

The Cleaner simply smiled as she stepped over to the double doors leading outside. Before her hand gripped the handle, her vampire hearing picked up several men screaming in anguish. She glanced over shoulder and saw Ryder and Adrian look at her and each other in surprise.

"I heard it, too," said Ryder.

The Cleaner reached for the small of her back and pulled her .22 from its concealed holster. "You two go upstairs and make sure Leni and the baby are safe. I'll handle whatever's going on outside."

She flung the double doors open leading to a walkway that stretched across the rear of the mansion. The screams she heard were replaced by the voices of her team speaking below humans' hearing capabilities. "We took down four of them. All human. Two are coming your way."

The Cleaner saw two figures garbed in black attire emerging from around the side of the house, brandishing pistols and flashlights. They hastily made their way onto the stone walkway surrounding the pool and onto the veranda, almost directly underneath her.

"Almost too easy," she surmised as she slid her weapon back into its holster. She bounded up onto the railing and without hesitation, slid off and down to the veranda and on top of one of the intruders. He collapsed to the ground unconscious, his weapon sliding from his grasp into her open palm.

She immediately swung to her right and aimed the weapon at the other man who himself trained his flashlight at her, leaving his gun hand pointed at the ground. He chuckled to himself at the error as his gaze fell upon his partner.

"Wow. Good help is hard to find around here these days."

"I believe it. Now if you don't mind, please." The Cleaner indicated the pistol still in his hand.

"Oh. Forgive me." He bent down by his knees and carefully placed the weapon and flashlight on the ground. Extending his hands over his head, he straightened and bestowed his captor a smile as he admired her

"I realize I am at a disadvantage, you holding the gun and all, but I'll make a deal with you. You seem to be able to handle yourself. Put the weapon down. Take me on in hand-to-hand combat. Fight me. If I win, my friends and I are free to go."

The Cleaner did not take her eyes off of him, but her arm lowered slightly. "And when I win?"

" _When?_ You _are_ confident."

In answer, the woman ejected the magazine from the pistol, catching it with her free hand. She tossed it over her shoulder into shrubbery by the edge of the veranda and then ejected the round in the chamber, tossing the pistol to join the magazine as the unspent round soared in the air.

"I'm that good," she said.

The man settled into a fighting stance. "How good?"

The Cleaner casually held her hand out to her side and caught the airborne round without looking. She held it in between her thumb and index finger for two seconds before flinging it at the man with such speed that the impact spun him around, knocking him into several chairs by the pool.

" _That_ good."

\- Chapter 16 -


	18. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Hayley sighed as she powered down her tablet. "I had a feeling that was gonna be a waste of time. Two hours in that car and the only thing we were able to find was a stale French fry," she said as she slid it into her backpack.

Allison shook her head as she took a sip of her beer. "Don't forget the mint candy that was stuck underneath the driver seat. How does that happen?"

The women sat in a booth in the back of a local bar Hayley suggested several blocks from the impound lot after the fruitless search of Ben Talbot's sedan. Sitting in her seat with her legs stretched out, Hayley held two empty shot glasses up and stared through them like binoculars across the table at Allison. Six equally empty glasses sat in front of her.

"I don't know how you can do it."

Allison gave her a puzzled look. "Do what?"

Hayley set the glasses down and and signaled to the bartender for another round. "Doesn't this feel familiar to you in some way? You're investigating the murder of an A.D.A. in L.A., the same place where your brother, an A.D.A., was murdered a couple of months ago. If it was me, I would be cringing on the inside dealing with something like that."

Allison's face hardened as Hayley finished her beer and set the empty bottle on the table. She slid hers to the side as she whispered, "No one was suppose to know about that."

Hayley shook her head. "Woman, you applied to work for the best security firm in California. Human resources checked to make sure you paid your bills. We have people that go in behind them who can tell what you've been spending your money on. It was bound to come up."

She swung her legs to the floor and leaned in close. "Listen, Air Force. Your secret is safe with me. Well, me and probably Alex. She didn't get far without being a little paranoid. But you have to be a little weirded out about the whole thing, huh?"

Hayley accepted the fresh beverages as Allison fidgeted with her hands. She didn't acknowledge the new beer placed close by. "I'll be honest. I … didn't think about the whole thing with my brother's murder. When Alex called tonight and asked me to help you out and explained what was going on, it didn't even faze me. I just wanted to do a good job tonight."

"And that you did," Hayley said. She downed one of her shots and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

Allison pulled her beer close and held it between her hands. "I did my homework into the company, Hayley. Sanders Securities is top notch when it comes to cases like this. So you know what I want to do? I want to look into my brother's murder. I want to know everything about the man who had him killed. His businesses. His family. _Everything_. Do you think Alex would mind if I do that?"

Allison tensed as she awaited an answer, expecting the woman to down her drinks and fire her then and there for wanting to use company resources for a personal vendetta. So it surprised her that Hayley smiled as she slid the other tequila to her and raised her beer in a toast.

"I don't think much of a woman who doesn't do any tequila, so drink up. For tomorrow, we dig into the business dealings of the late Chemma Tejada."

#

Beth opened her eyes and snapped her fingers. "Hawaii?"

They sat outside on the floor of Beth's patio listening to music on Beth's phone. Mick leaned against the wall while Beth's head rested on his lap.

When she received no response, she rose and chopped him across his thigh. He slowly stirred. "Huh?"

"Hawaii. Where we could go for our vacation. I choose Hawaii. It's perfect this time of year. Average temperature is low 70's this time of year so it's not a sauna. I'm sure you can do this without dying on me. We can get like a beach house or villa where we can get you set up with a jacuzzi to ice down in during the day and for us to play in at night, walk down to the beach for a midnight swim…"

" _Or_ we can make a trip out to Josef's private island a few miles off the coast of Kauai. He somehow claimed the deed to it prior to Hawaii being named a state."

"Really?"

Mick shrugged. "He's four centuries old. He's been around."

"You're right about that." Beth slid her body along the floor until she rested against the wall and Mick's shoulder.

"Earth to vampire. What are you thinking about?"

Mick stared back at her in silence for several seconds. "I'm gonna be honest with you. When I first saw you … again … for the first time -"

"Let's just say when we met last year," said Beth, giggling. "Remember? I was four."

"Agreed." Mick smiled. His eyes diverted to the ceiling for a second as he gathered his thoughts. "When I saw you walking barefoot in that fountain last year, the first thing that came to mind was that you grew into a beautiful, intelligent, young woman. You didn't let what could have been a tragic situation destroy you like it would have done any other person. In fact, I believe it strengthened you."

Beth smiled as he continued. "I never dreamed that we would be here. Now. Together. But I look at you in my arms and this is a moment that I never want to end. I love you so much, Beth Turner."

A tear slowly made its way from Beth's right eye to her chin. Unabashed, she wiped it away and reached up to kiss him but a cell phone on the floor beside them vibrated for attention.

Mick gave her an apologetic look as he hefted the device. "Uh oh. Ryder's calling," he said as he jumped to his feet and pressed the answer button. "Ryder? What's going on?"

"The mansion is under attack. We have intruders on the grounds. I'm outside Miss Leni's bedroom. The Cleaner and her team are outside handling things now. From what she told me, they're human."

Beth had rose to her feet to and rushed inside. "Where are the cops?"

"I don't know. She's sending someone to check outside the gates."

"I'm on my way. Do not let Leni or Jack out of your sight. Do you understand?" Mick moved into the apartment, closing the patio door behind him. "Hold on."

He disconnected the call and quickly scanned the living room for his jacket where he had left before he realized Beth was already standing at the door with it plus her purse in hand and gesturing hurriedly.

"What are you just standing there for? Let's go."

#

Mick expected blood and carnage driving up to the mansion. But when he and Beth arrived, they looked at each other with the same questioning expression on their faces.

 _What attack?_

They exited the vehicle and made their way to the front door. Before he stepped inside, Mick observed two police cruisers arriving outside the closed gates followed by Carl Davis who parked his unmarked sedan behind them and quickly exited. Mick could see Davis walk up and berated the officers gathering by their vehicles for leaving their assigned post.

Standing at the bottom of the stairs with Adrian and Ryder, Beth whistled. "Carl is really letting those guys have it."

"Whatever happened, if it was vampires attacking, they wouldn't have stood a chance." Mick closed the door and looked around the house. "No one made it inside?"

"No. The exits are secure and Leni is up in her room eating her take out." Adrian glanced upstairs. "I doubt she even heard a thing. The Cleaner, she was very efficient."

"The Cleaner, huh?" Beth crossed her arms and gave Mick a smirk. "You didn't tell me _she_ was watching the house."

Mick grimaced at the statement. Not receiving a reply, Beth shrugged and looked over at Ryder.

"Ryder? Where is she? I believe it's about time I met this … _Cleaner_."

#

Ryder led Mick and Beth down a walkway to a section of the grounds hidden from view by a small but thick wooded area. "Mr. Kostan just had a garage built for new vehicles he purchased overseas," he said. "A separate gate will lead up to it from the side road which I will be taking care next week."

Beth held Mick's so as to not trip and fall on the dimly lit path. "So, how big could this place be?"

The three rounded a curve on the path and the edge of the thickest portion of the woods and Beth gasped at the sight before her. Mick simply crossed his arms and shook his head.

"You had to ask."

A building the size of a football field rested in the clearing before them. Eight bay doors able to accommodate entry and exit to large transportation vehicles were lowered. One man stood outside what appeared to be an access door and opened it upon their approach.

Beth followed Mick and Ryder inside, noting the interior was darkened except for what she could ascertain to be the building's center. One single light shown down on six men seated on the floor in a circle. Each of them were blindfolded and gagged, and their hands and legs were bound.

Mick looked down at each of them in for a minute before turning to Ryder. "Any clue as to where they came from?"

A feminine voice responded from the darkness behind Beth. "I think I can help with that."

A steady streams of footfalls echoed through the building coming from the far corner behind Beth and the others. She turned and watched as a beautiful redhead, dressed in a matte-black skintight outfit walked towards her with cat-like grace.

"So you must be the lovely new human in Mick's life," she said as she held out her hand to Beth. "It is so nice to finally meet you."

Beth hesitantly shook her hand while taking in the Cleaner's curve-hugging outfit. "You're - you're like a model!"

"Oh please!" The Cleaner laughed as she released her hand and turned to Mick. "Modeling would be so boring compared to what I do now."

Mick cleared his throat. "What do you have?"

She walked to the circle of prisoners and toed one with a pointed boot. "This is Ian Foster," she said as she handed Mick a folded photo. "He and the others had pictures of Leni and Jack on them in their pockets. He seems to be … cooperative."

Mick glanced at the photo in his hand, anger building up inside by the second. He flung the photo aside and reached down to grab Foster by the collar of his jacket, yanking him to his feet.

"Who sent you after a defenseless young woman and her child, huh?" Mick pulled the duct tape from Foster's face so quickly his skin reddened. The cloth blindfold followed a second later. "I want to know right now."

Foster blinked several times until his eyes were able to adjust and he was able to focus on Mick who actually stood an inch shorter. He looked over at Beth and Ryder very briefly before settling on the Cleaner who held up a .22 millimeter round in her fingertips. She gave him a sly smile and a wink.

Foster swallowed and focused back on Mick. "What assurances are you going to give me and my men?"

Instead of initially answering, Mick slowly bowed his head for several seconds. Foster thought he fell asleep until a loud growl emitted from him. The inhuman sound caused him to break free but each blow against Mick's arm felt like hitting stone.

Mick raised his head and the sight of his gray visage almost caused Foster to lose complete bowel control. "I assure you that it would be in your best interest to talk," he said, drawing Foster close.

" _Now_."

#

Alone in her bedroom, Vanessa Fayed poured herself a glass of wine from a bottle sitting on the table by the doors leading to the balcony. She set the bottle down and raised the glass to her lips but paused as she realized she had left her phone in her bathroom on the sink during her shower.

Glancing at her alarm clock on the nightstand, she set the glass down and walked into the bathroom to retrieve it. She noted she had not received any messages from Ian Foster concerning his mission. She pocketed her phone in the pocket of her bathrobe and returned to her bedroom, a feeling of uneasiness steadily growing within her.

The bottle of wine was as she left it. In fact, she noted, it was as if the bottle was completely full. The fact was justified by the empty wine glass sitting she nearly took a sip out of seconds prior sitting beside it.

"I poured the wine back into the bottle," a male voice replied to her unspoken question. It came from a corner of the room behind her and close to her bedroom door. "I want you to have a clear head while you answer a few questions for me."

Fayed stood still for a three count before turning around, using the time to regain her composure before facing the intruder. Seated at the desk was a man, very handsome with brown hair, dressed in dark clothes and a long jacket.

She smiled as she moved to her bed and sat down on the edge. "Mick St. John. Well, this was not how I expected to be meeting you for the first time."

Mick stood and walked over to Fayed as he reached into his jacket pocket. "What, you thought we were going to meet for the first time at Leni's funeral?" He tossed Foster's picture of the girl and her child on the floor at her feet.

"Foster and his men confessed to you hiring them to kidnap the girl. They were also kind enough to spill the beans on you picking up where your half-brother left off in the family business, Miss Fayed. Cops have them in custody and will be here in about five minutes to arrest everyone here so I would have to say you are done terrorizing Leni Hayes forever."

Fayed stared down at the picture of Leni and her son. She sighed and smiled at Mick. "Well, Detective. It seems that you've won. I will cooperate on one condition. Promise me this and I will not resist."

Mick briefly considered the request as he stared down at the young woman. He finally took a step back. "What is it you want me to do?'

Fayed gestured to a group of pictures on a table beside Mick's chair. "I know Leni love my niece, Mara. I still did not let that keep me from accomplishing what my brother couldn't. Eliminating her. I wanted her gone so it would help my brother's chances of being freed."

Mick turned and walked over to the table where he scanned the pictures until settling on one of Leni holding a young girl in her lap at what appeared to be a birthday party. He picked it up and looked at it more closely, keenly aware that Fayed was making a subtle movement behind him. He chose to ignore it as he said, "They seemed happy here. A peaceful time, I suppose."

"Yes, it was." The familiar sound of a safety disengaging behind him made Mick roll his eyes and smile. Holding the picture to his chest, he turned around to see Fayed still sitting on the bed while aiming a pistol at him.

"I thought you said you weren't going to resist."

"That's correct. I don't plan on resisting. I don't plan on doing anything except what needs to be done."

It took Mick a few seconds before he realized Fayed's intentions. He held the picture out for her to see as he asked, "It's not too late to turn this around. Do you think your niece would want that for her aunt?"

Fayed rose and walked over to the table where the wine and glass rested. Pouring herself one, she picked it up and took a sip. "What I want is my niece out of this life and happy. I see now that Leni is the only one who can do that for her."

Mick considered overpowering the woman and pulling the weapon from her grasp to prevent her from doing what she planned. He instead backed towards the bedroom door and opened it while still watching Fayed.

She nodded as she lowered her weapon. "I trust, Mr. St. John, that you will do what is right."

#

Standing in the shadows of bushes close to the tall brick wall, Mick watched as two dozen uniformed officers rounded up the guards gathered on the grounds of the Fayed residence. They were forced to their knees in front of the house to be searched for weapons and contraband. Several officers armed themselves with flashlights to search the grounds for more guards while Carl Davis, strapping on a protective vest, led four officers inside through the front doors. Mick moved further into the shadows.

His phone vibrated while he fixated his eyes on the location of Vanessa Fayed's bedroom on the second floor. He dug it out of his pocket and saw it was Josef. "Can't really talk right now," he whispered.

"I figured as such. Adrian called and informed me of what happened at the house. Where are you? And why are you whispering?"

Mick's eyes remained glued on the upstairs bedroom. "I'm at Vanessa Fayed's house. Lieutenant Davis just walked in with the police."

"Oh. Well, the sooner they arrest that woman, the sooner all of this will be over and I _just might_ be able to reclaim my house."

A single gunshot echoed from the house, coinciding with a flash of light that illuminated Fayed's bedroom for a split second. Several officers from the outside rushed through the front doors with weapons drawn in response to the fired shot.

Mick hung up on Josef and slipped his phone back into his pocket. "There won't be an arrest," he said as he backed up into the shadows until he came up to the brick barrier. He braced himself and leapt over, landing gracefully on the sidewalk ten feet from where his car waited.

Fishing his keys out, he walked to the driver's side, pausing only to ensure his nine-year-old passenger was still asleep in the back seat before climbing in. Seconds later, the Mercedes pulled out from its spot and turned on a side road.

\- Chapter 17 -


	19. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

#

Leni woke up to baby Jack stirring beside her in the king-size bed. The three body pillows surrounding him proved to almost be inadequate as he used them to brace himself for a seemingly impossible opportunity to climb over. Her eyes widened at the sight of him struggling to pull himself over and she sat up to pull the toddler into her lap.

"You aren't even four months old and already trying to escape! What am I'm gonna to do with you?" She tickled his stomach to his delight, giggling and twisting as he slapped at the air joyfully.

She heard a knock at the door but did not move for fear of upsetting Jack. "Come on in! It's open!"

The door opened and a face she thought she would never see again appeared.

"Mara?!"

#

Josef looked down at his house guests and smiled, knowing his mansion will be devoid of three less humans very soon. "Adrian will get you three settled at the Chicago penthouse. He knows how I like things handled so he'll oversee all the security arrangements. You'll be quite safe, I assure you."

Sitting beside Mara on the couch outside by the pool, and with Jack on her lap, Leni looked up at her host. "Josef, I - I don't know what to say. You, Mick, Beth, Simone. You all have done so much for me and Jack. And now we have Mara? I can't believe it."

Josef waved off her gratitude. "No thanks are necessary, though do me a favor. Next time you come across a job and it just so happens to be for a gun runner, apply at McDonald's instead, okay? But you won't have to worry about that because you'll be a part of my administration staff in my offices there as well."

The door opened behind the couch and Simone stepped outside, followed by Mick. Josef nodded to them as he walked over and crouched in front of Mara. "Would you mind going upstairs and getting your things together? I think there is someone here who needs to say goodbye to Leni. Simone will give you a hand."

Mara nodded and rose from her seat. She gave Leni and Jack a quick peck on their cheeks before following Simone into the house. Josef straightened and smiled down at Leni before following the others inside but was stopped at the door by Mick who waved him over to the side a few feet away.

"I brought a batch of your favorite stock and put it in a carafe upstairs," said Mick. He spoke sub-atomically so only Josef could hear.

"Good! I'm thirsty!" Josef clapped Mick on the shoulder, belatedly realizing that Leni heard him. He covered his mouth and rushed inside as she gave him a quizzical look.

Mick shook his head and walked over to the couch where he sat down at an angle in order to look at each other easily. She adjusted to do the same.

She spoke first. "Looks like I'm gonna be living in Chicago for a while. Why don't you send me to Alaska if you want me to freeze to death?"

Mick laughed. "That can be arranged. Josef does own a house in Juneau. At least in Chicago, you'll have a sunrise and a sunset, and what's left of summer. The most important thing is that you'll be safe. You have Jack, and you now have Mara."

"Yeah, about that." She pulled back from him slightly with a serious expression. "Mara is here. Was that the best idea?"

"It was her aunt's idea. She said she knows that you and Mara love each other and when she knew she was going down for kidnapping and gun running, the best thing for Mara was to be with you instead of a foster home."

Leni nervously wrung her hands as she looked down at them. "I heard about what happened last night. You would tell me … if _you_ did it. Would you?"

Mick reached for her right hand and held it between his own. "I didn't, Leni. I swear. Everything last was her idea. _Everything."_

He pulled a small envelope out of his jacket pocket and handed it to her. "I set up an account for you and the children so you don't have to worry about working for a while until Josef gets his offices up and running. Inside are the account numbers, debit and credit cards, and Mara's paperwork. We'll wait a few weeks and then square everything with Lieutenant Davis and the U.S. marshals as to your safety and her existence."

Leni stared into Mick's eyes for a minute before nodding. She grasped his hands with hers and smiled as tears ran down her cheeks. "Jack and I owe you our lives."

He rose and pulled her up from the couch into an embrace. "You don't owe me anything, Leni. Just take care of your son and friend. That's all the thanks I need."

#

Beth walked into the living room and stopped short when she saw the open laptop, beer bottles and papers scattered on the coffee table. Allison was asleep on the couch with her jacket acting as a makeshift pillow while her body stretched over more papers and folders. Her boots were off but her jeans remained on. Beth saw no evidence of a shirt visible on the couch.

 _At least she's wearing a bra,_ she laughed to herself as she silently moved through and picked up the trash to deposit in the kitchen trash can. Allison stirred when the bottles connected with each other as they settled but just enough to turn to where her back was facing the rest of the apartment. A folder underneath her shoulder became dislodged from the movement and fell to the floor as Beth returned, its contents spilling onto the floor.

 _I knew she had to search Talbot's car last night, but did she have homework to do afterwards?_

Beth shrugged the thought away as she bent down to pick the folder and the photos that were inside. Some were normal pictures of Latino family gatherings or parties which she did not give more than a cursory glance.

She picked up a picture of what appeared to be a birthday party for a young girl and started to put it in the folder when but paused at the sight of the man, Latino descent and impeccably attired in a suit, standing and smiling at the girl's side. Frowning, she found another picture of the two at the same party. And another.

The last picture, a mugshot of the same man nearly made Beth collapse. She found the arm of a chair and used it to help her to the floor as she stared at the face of the man who once wanted her dead.

 _Chemma Tejada,_ she breathed. The Latino businessman who was justifiably days from indictment for having ties with a notorious Mexican gang in Los Angeles and attempted to have his case derailed by threatening her life. Josh served as the casualty of Tejada's deadly scheme when two of his trusted soldiers shot a police officer and kidnapped Josh in front of Beth's apartment. Mick and Beth were able to find him but one of the kidnappers found a weapon and shot Josh through the back seat into the trunk in which he was being held captive. Despite Mick's medical efforts, he died from his injuries.

 _Why would Allison have this? Tejada's dead. The case was closed with his death._

Beth glanced at her sleeping friend and the picture in her hand. Coming to a decision, she rose to her feet and slid the photos back in the folder. After placing it on the table next to the laptop, she grabbed her cell phone, keys, and purse before exiting the apartment.

#

Alex Sanders walked over to the couch and held out a glass of water to its occupant. "I really need to start enforcing the policy on company credit card usage for a night out on the town."

"Yeah, as soon as you start following it," quipped Hayley as she accepted the glass and swallowed a sip, followed by two aspirins and then by another sip of water. She placed the glass on the table and swung her legs up to lie down on the couch. "It was my fault. Should have never given her my shot. That girl can drink."

Alex bent down and held Hayley's legs up to slide underneath and then placed them on her lap. "But you think she'll look into her brother's murder?"

"I know she will, Alex. We swung back here after the bar and dug up old news archives, pictures and information we had on Tejada and some of his known associates, as well as the report on Lindsey and his kidnapping and shooting. She went home like she was promised her favorite toy for Christmas."

Alex tilted her head back and close her eyes. "This messes me up, Hayley. It seems a lot more work is being done on Lindsey's murder and nothing on Ben's. Ben's case is priority. "

Hayley snapped her fingers. "I forgot to tell you," she said as she propped herself up on her elbows. "An addendum was inserted with the case file from L.A.P.D. months after the case was closed. D.A.'s office did a separate investigation into everyone involved and then Internal Affairs. Guess who was there at the scene trying to save Lindsey's life? Mick St. John."

Alex's eyes shot open at the revelation. "I asked for the file myself. That information was not in there." She straightened her head to look down at her investigator.

"If St. John is involved somehow, maybe, _just maybe_ he's connected with Ben's murder as well. It's a long shot but it's time for new tactics."

Hayley laid back down and covered her eyes with a forearm. "What do you have planned, boss?"

Alex tilted her head back again, smiling.

"It's time I got in the game."

#

"As far as I know, Beth, the district attorney has no plans to reopen Tejada's file," said Carl Davis. He sat on the edge of his desk peering down at his phone distractedly while Beth sipped on a cup of coffee in a chair by the door. "Ben Talbot was literally thrown to the wolves when he came on board with cases he had opened himself. Anything Josh opened has been put on hold with the exception of Tejada's after we found his body."

He looked over at her with a bewildered expression on his face. "Where is your boyfriend this morning?"

Beth shrugged, taking another sip of coffee and grimacing at the taste. "I don't know. I came straight here from my house."

Davis stared at her disbelievingly. "I swear, Carl. I have no idea where he is. If he's not at his place, then he's checking on Leni."

"Oh no." Davis rose and walked behind his desk to open a drawer and pulled out his service revolver. "I had a detective go up there just now to check on her. Leni's gone. St. John was there but he's gone as well. Kostan is gone. The only person there is a redhead the detective only described as "hot."

Beth rolled her eyes at the comment. She was about to reply when the district attorney entered the office carrying a folder. He looked down at her in surprise. "Turner. What are you doing here?"

"She was asking about an old case I had worked on previously, sir." Davis slid his holstered weapon onto his belt and reached for his jacket. "I was just helping her out."

The district attorney shook his head as he stepped past and dropped the folder on the desk. "I don't think so, Lieutenant. Information on cases under the jurisdiction of this office is not to be disseminated to those not under this office's employ."

Beth looked up at the man in puzzlement until it suddenly dawned on her. "My resignation! I totally forgot about it! Well, I guess it was finally accepted."

The district attorney nodded. "It has. Special Agent Stecker has concluded her investigation into this office and I have gone ahead and filed it. The next time I see you back here speaking with the lieutenant, it better be with a visitor's badge."

The last comment really got under Beth's skin, causing her to jump to her feet and blocking his path to the door. "Sir, do you remember my previous job?"

He paused to give the question thought. "Uh … you were a reporter, right? Some sort of tabloid internet site?"

Davis leaned against the wall and covered his eyes as Beth smiled. "Yes. I was a reporter for _BuzzWire,_ and a damned good one. I did what I needed to do when it came to obtaining the facts and unlike my former coworkers, I didn't slam the L.A.P.D., its officers, or you and your office. And I was just a lowly reporter, but guess what? In a few days, I'll be coming back to _BuzzWire_ as the editor-in-chief. I'm going to be in charge of what stories we do, who we speak with, and what light we shed on each and every story. Nothing will get past me without my say-so."

She took a step closer to the district attorney, still smiling. "Now, it's my goal to cultivate a sound relationship with this office. After all, Josh Lindsey worked here. Ben Talbot worked here. Carl Davis works here. I have proven time and time again that I alone can be a vital asset. Think about _several_ reporters with the same skills and mindset capable of painting this office in a positive light."

She shrugged and bent down to retrieve her purse. "Of course, I was able to accomplish a lot on my own so if I can't have a little bit of cooperation from the Los Angeles district attorney, then whatever story comes out will be treated as fact without any corroboration from you."

"Now wait a minute." He held a hand up to halt her departure as he looked over at Davis for support but the lieutenant still covered his eyes. He sighed in defeat and looked down at Beth. "There's no need to be hasty, Beth. I'm sure we could come to some sort of arrangement … that would be mutually beneficial for both sides."

Beth smiled again. "Oh, I'm sure."

The district attorney nodded once and hastily made his retreat. Davis finally pushed off the wall and crossed his arms. "Were you yanking his chain about going back to _BuzzWire?_ Because I remember what a pain in the ass you were by yourself. A whole team of you makes me want to turn in _my_ resignation."

"I guess I am back, huh?" She bit her lip as she looked to the side.

Davis noticed the look. "What's wrong?"

She looked up at him and gave a weak laugh. "I have to find a way to tell Mick."

That _will be fun._

#

Mick hung the newly printed picture of Leni, Mara, and Jack settling in on Josef's Gulfstream prior to takeoff for Chicago on his office wall. He smiled as he looked at the baffled expression on the baby's face as Mara tried to play with him.

As he turned back to his desk, he heard a knock at his door. He walked over and pressed the button to his hallway monitor. Surprise lit his features as he recognized his visitor.

He opened the door and smiled at the new arrival. "Alexandra Sanders. This is totally unexpected."

"Hello, Mick. I hope I'm not interrupting. I would have called but this was a spur of the moment drop by."

"No, please. Come in."

Sanders walked in, admiring the office as Mick stepped past her behind his desk. "Can I get you anything to drink?"

She turned her gaze to him as she set her purse on the floor. "No, thank you. I really need to speak to you of a matter of a personal nature."

Mick gestured to one of his office chairs. "Let's sit and talk about it."

#

When Alex had finished her proposal, Mick leaned back in his chair and whistled. "This has to eat at you coming to me like this."

Alex grinned as she gave a small shrug. "My ego can withstand the internal beating it's getting right now. I just hope I leave before your head swells up. The thing is, my best investigator wasn't able to find anything. I'm tempted to do this myself but I'm … I'm just too close to this."

The sad look on her face reminded Mick of Talbot's funeral when she stood in front of the casket alone in tears. He leaned forward in his chair and propped his elbows on his desk. "If you don't mind me asking, how did you and Talbot meet?"

"Believe it or not, he was suing me for one of his clients." She chuckled at the memory. "I was just starting out as a private investigator. Mostly low budget stuff. Checking to make sure people weren't faking on disabilities or working while collecting on payments, or the occasional cheating spouse. Such was the case with the CEO of a company which shall remain nameless. I had gotten too close to one and the cheating bastard served me papers for harassment."

"So how did you get out of it? You still had an obligation to your client."

Alex nodded. "I did. I presented my evidence to Ben and his client and said I'll make it disappear if they dropped the lawsuit, which they did. But not before I forwarded the information to a fellow P.I. who was just starting out. I had an agreement in place with my client to do so. It was legit. Just waited it out a month and my guy caught the client's husband slithering out of a massage parlor doubling as a bunny wagon. I just couldn't be attached to that investigation."

She laughed again as she played with a ring on her left hand. "I never did tell Ben what I did, but I think he had some sort of idea what happened because three months later, he called to ask me if I could do some corporate work for him. One thing led to another, a wild fling at a bed and breakfast and … we were an item."

"So, what happened?"

She straightened in her chair as she locked eyes with him. "Ben happened. He decided to go the judicial route and applied for an open San Francisco A.D.A. billet. His interpretation of the law from that point on didn't coincide with mine. We were done within six months after that."

Mick heard a faint vibration coming from Alex's purse at her feet, low enough that only his vampiristic hearing picked it up. "I think your cell is ringing."

Alex gave him a puzzled look but reached down into her bag and pulled out her phone. "You must have ears like a bat," she said as she rose to her feet. "I'm just going to step back here."

While Alex spoke with the caller by the office door, Mick reached for his phone and was surprised he missed a text from Beth:

Davis is looking for Leni. Where are you?

He sent back a reply:

At the office. Alexandra Sanders gave me a case. Will call when it's over.

He sent the message just as Alex concluded her call and turned back to face him. "It seems that I have a visitor at my office. An FBI agent inquiring about both the Talbot murder _and_ Josh Lindsey's as well."

Cautiously, Mick framed his question. "I can understand about Talbot now, but why would the FBI come to you about Josh Lindsey?"

Alex shrugged. Mick noted it was a cautious gesture as she looked away from him. "I don't know. Maybe because of my inquiries into Ben. I had five department heads on this, after all."

Mick detected Alex's heart racing at the lie she gave, or the omission of the fact that Allison Lindsey is under her employ. He got up and grabbed his cell phone and jacket hanging on the back of his chair. "Mind if I tag along? I might be able to shed some light on the investigation."

Alex hesitated in answering as if struggling to decide. She finally reached for her purse still on the floor, using the movement to regain her composure.

"Why not?"

#

The first thing Mick discovered when he and Alex stepped onto the parking garage elevator was the faint, decaying scent of a vampire.

 _There are plenty of vampires in Los Angeles,_ he mused to himself as the elevator made its way up the fifteen flights. _And a big building. Probably one had business somewhere inside._

The doors opened onto the Sanders Securities' main office floor and the aroma hit Mick like the exhaust from a car. His eyes widened in surprise and he looked out at the elevator lobby with a degree of noticeable uneasiness.

Alex had stepped off the elevator and to the glass doors leading to her office's reception area but stopped when she noticed he was not behind her. "Detective? Are you okay?"

He slowly stepped out, almost bumping into the closing doors and smiling sheepishly. "Sorry. I realized I meant to take care of something at my office." He walked over and pulled the door open for her. "I get sidetracked like that sometimes."

Alex smiled and stepped past him to the reception desk for messages while Mick inhaled deeply, closing his eyes as he stepped inside and released the door.

 _Whoever it is, he's here._

Alex turned to him with messages in hand. "Our FBI agent is in the main conference room. You can head there if you like while I drop my bag and jacket, okay?"

Mick nodded but froze on the inside as Alex gathered her things. _I don't think you want me going back there by myself. Blood is hard to get off of paint._

Just then Robin, her executive assistant, rounded the corner from an office close by the far side of the desk. "Hey, Alex. Glad you're here. You have a minute to talk about the Japanese proposal financials?"

"Nope. Got a Fed in the conference room waiting. Can you take my things to my office for me? And email me what you have and I'll look everything over when I'm done."

Mick exhaled in relief, though the realization that Alex may now be in harm's way stuck with him as he followed her down the long hall to the conference room where they first met not a week ago. By the time he walked through the door, the decay was almost overpowering. He braced himself for a fight.

The lone occupant was already rising to his feet as they walked in. Handsome, impeccably attired in crisp slacks and button down shirt with a dark blue blazer, tall and muscular with short brown hair, perfectly trimmed. He glanced at Mick for a long second as he offered his hand to Alex.

"Miss. Sanders, my name is Special Agent Malcolm Rehnquist. I appreciate the time you're taking to speak with me."

"Well, I do have an interest in the Ben Talbot murder so I hope I can be of some help with that but I don't know what help I can with the Lindsey murder. I had no dealings with him during his time at the D.A.'s office."

"But I did." Mick held his hand out to the FBI agent. "Mick St. John."

Rehnquist released Alex's hand and grasped Mick's. The grip was viselike as he said, "The detective! It is very nice to meet you. Your name is prominent throughout our case files. You were going to be my next stop but I'm glad I'm able to … kill two birds with one stone?"

He grinned as he released Mick's hand and returned to his seat at the table. "The reason I'm here is because several files pertaining to Lindsey were accessed from this location very early this morning. FBI servers have been dedicated to anything in terms of keyhole searches regarding him and Talbot and I'm trying to find out … _why_."

Alex moved to a chair a few spots down from Rehnquist at the table and gestured for Mick to do the same. "That's easy. I'm conducting a personal investigation into Ben Talbot's murder. I had an associate here pull the files on Lindsey to check on similarities in cases they had prosecuted, though it may be a mute point from my understanding. One of Chemma Tejada's lieutenants confessed that his boss ordered the hit, and then Tejada's body was found in some dive bar."

While Alex spoke, Rehnquist transcribed on a notepad. His expression turned thoughtful and he looked over at Mick. "St. John, you were actually allowed to question one of them after the attack. Some character named Bustos? He gave you Tejada's location? The Compost Bar in Boyle Heights?"

"That's right."

Rehnquist smiled as he rose from his chair and strolled past Alex's. He leaned on the table beside Mick who did not flinch despite the close proximity. "Bustos was questioned again and he said he told you Tejada was at the Hollenbeck Bar. Big difference."

When Mick offered no reply, the smile disappeared. "Let me tell you what I believe. I believe Bustos gave you Tejada's true location. You gave a false location to the local authorities and they chased after that thread while you took off for the Hollenbeck Bar … and killed Chemma Tejada."

Alex's mouth fell open in surprise at the revelation. Mick silently counted to three before slowly rising from his chair. He looked past Rehnquist at a stunned Alex.

"I'll get started on your investigation as soon as possible, Alex," he said. "We'll find some answers soon."

He returned his gaze to Rehnquist. "I'm leaving before I do something I might regret, Agent Rehnquist," he said softly. "But rest assured, we'll speak again very soon."

Mick roughly shouldered the bureau agent out of the way as he exited the conference room. "I agree, St. John," he called out. "I'm sure we will speak again. In the meantime, I'm sure you have other things going on. Places to be, legal counsel to attain."

He looked down at Alex still seated in her chair and sat down beside her. "I'm sorry for that outburst, Miss Sanders. I just realized I might have divulged some information you were not privy to concerning my investigation. I hope I can trust you to keep that tidbit to yourself."

Alex stared at her hands on the table for a brief second before looking up and gracing Rehnquist with a smile.

"I believe I can."

\- Chapter 18 -


	20. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

#

 _When I first met Lance, Josef warned me to stay away from him. I had no idea he was damn near vampire royalty during the French Revolution, and Josef wasn't very forthcoming with that piece of info._

 _So I can't wait to hear what he says when I tell him about_ this _guy._

Mick strolled into the lounge area of the club, nearly bumping into several scantily clad women. One of them, a sexy brunette, stopped and gave Mick a sultry smile as she slowly ran her hand across his chest. "I've been trying to chase you down for two years, Mick, even though you don't really go for freshies anymore. But what is this I hear about you dating a human now?"

Mick smiled back at her as he touched her chin with his fingertip. "You know you always have a place in my heart, Rachel."

Rachel reached up and kissed him on the cheek, pausing only to whisper, "He's waiting for you in the library."

Mick watched as Rachel followed her friends down the hallway. He exhaled audibly and shook his head as he continued on to the expansive library which doubled as a leisure area and bar. Josef stood in front of a black and white photograph of himself at an inaugural celebration in Washington, D.C. "Lincoln's?"

Josef shook his head as he signaled for a bartender. "Harrison's. I told him to wear a jacket and a hat. I could stand outside in a downpour for a two hour speech but not everyone else. The fool."

The bartender deposited two glasses of plasma on a small table beside Josef. Nodding his thanks, he picked them up and handed one to Mick. "Now. What is it that has you so rattled?"

Mick sat down on a stool beside him and took a sip from his glass. "I just got grilled by a FBI agent about Lindsey, Talbot, and Chemma Tejada."

"Chemma Tejada. Tejada." Josef tapped his chin with his finger, lost in thought. "Wasn't he the Latino _el jefé_ who put a hit out on Lindsey and Beth? I heard they found his body in the back of some hole in the wall bar."

When Mick offered no reply, Josef looked over at his friend. "Now I know something is up because anyone who so much as changes Beth's hair color is automatically dead. What did you do?"

Mick sighed and returned Josef's gaze. "I needed some time to figure things out so I didn't really tell you about what happened after Josh died. I didn't tell anyone."

Josef chuckled and clapped his hand on Mick's shoulder. "Oh, you think I didn't figure out on my own that you took care of Tejada? You don't give me enough credit. I've been wondering what would it take to send you down to my level for the better part of three decades and I knew it would be the lovely Beth Turner."

Mick's mouth set in a firm frown. "Fine. I killed him. But this agent? He's a vampire, Josef. Older than you. Probably older than McClane."

Josef's eyes narrowed as he backed up a step at the revelation. "You could have led with that a minute ago," he whispered.

"Sorry." Mick glanced over his shoulder at Rachel who led in a party of businessmen vampires. "It's odd because the FBI had already looked at me and Beth. Now this … Malcolm Rehnquist wants to put me on a dying fire."

Josef's eyes widened at the mention of the FBI agent's name. He grasped Mick's shoulder and roughly turned him in the stool until they faced each other.

"Josef, what the hell?!"

"You have to leave town, Mick. You have to leave and never come back."

Mick forced himself off of the stool and pulled himself from Josef's grasp. "What? What are you talking about? Why?"

Josef's arms slowly fell to his sides as he gave his friend a sad look. "Coraline's family has been a bit … reclusive over the past hundred years, but in the decades before the Reign of Terror, before the French Revolution, it's said that Malcolm Rehnquist was at the forefront of it all."

Mick leaned close attentively as Josef sighed and took a seat beside him. "Malcolm is the head of Coraline and Lance's family, so therefore the most powerful. Not one of the seven siblings. Rumor has it that he is a distant cousin of the Duvall family and turned them one by one. When that happened, he had his very own coven. So cliché, but sort of the rage back in the day."

"Before Coraline married you, nothing happened without his knowledge. Without his approval. Marrying you, it … _offended him."_

Mick shook his head. "You know, the more I think about it, the more I wish my best friend could have filled me in a few decades ago."

Josef jabbed a finger at Mick furiously. "This isn't a matter to be joking about, damnit! Mick, I am serious! Lance wanted you destroyed but he was happy with bringing Coraline back. However, after Coraline's supposed death, the rumor I heard was Malcolm did not take _any_ news about you well at all."

He turned back to the picture on the wall, rubbing his chin. "Malcolm's vengeance is legendary. Three parts. Three delicate plans designed to drive whoever he's after to him willingly, or turned in even by the most loyal of his friends."

"Okay, it sounds like you're the subject matter expert on this guy," said Mick. "How will he do it?"

Josef slowly turned back around to face his friend. When he spoke, his voice was halting. "He will go for your freedom. You already experienced that. He'll work that one while the other two come into play."

"Which are?"

Josef hesitated for several seconds before responding, his gaze boring into his friend. "He will find your closest and dearest friends and exploit them. Find a loose thread in them and yank until they unravel while they turn on you. But those things pale in comparison to the third part. The one person who will ultimately bring you down, Mick. And the sad thing about it? You will find out and yet you will still let it happen."

Mick looked in his friend's eyes as if the answer was there. Indeed, as the expression on Josef's face was filled with more remorse than he displayed even when he shared with Mick and Beth the tragic story of Sarah Whitley. The one woman Josef has ever claimed to love, resting in an immortal slumber in a New York brownstone.

Love.

 _Love._

 _Beth._

#

Beth walked in the apartment to find Allison sitting on the couch drinking a glass of wine. "I don't know what you were doing last night but you obviously brought your work home with you." She indicated the folders on the coffee table now stacked neatly underneath the laptop.

Allison grinned as she set her glass down. "Sorry for the mess. Trying to get caught up, that's all. Though next time I go out for a nightcap with my supervisor, I should swear off tequila. That girl can drink. At least she gave me the day off, though. Gave me time to do this."

She tossed something at Beth which she clumsily caught. She looked down in her hand at a pair of keys held together by a zip tie. "What's this?"

"Keys to my new place! I signed the lease a hour ago. A complex about five minutes from here. Huge! Master bedroom with jacuzzi bathtub, kitchen I can use to knock out some buffet spreads if need be, and a balcony large enough to seat six comfortably. Oh, and fifteen percent off my rent because they are a client of the company."

Beth smiled as she walked over and placed the keys on the table before sitting down in one of the chairs. "Al, I was cleaning up this morning and I came across some of your work. It was an accident and I wasn't trying to dig into your business, but some stuff fell out of a folder and I picked everything up."

"It's fine." Allison waved off her apology. "Like I said, the girl can drink."

Beth leaned in a little closer. "The reason I'm bringing it up is because I saw what you are looking into. Chemma Tejada."

At that, the grin disappeared from Allison's face. Her gaze fell on the folders before her as she said, "I need some closure with this, Beth."

"I know. I know. That was something you never got because you weren't here, but Al, nothing you do, I do, it won't bring him back. Josh … I think about him everyday and if there was something I could do to make you feel better about this, I would do it in an heartbeat."

She reached over to the table and pulled a folder from underneath the laptop. Opening it, she scoured through its contents until she found what she was looking for. "The one thing, the only thing that helps me rest easy is the fact that this bastard can never go after anyone else ever again," she said as she held out to the woman a picture of Tejada.

Allison slowly took the picture and looked at the image hard for a long moment. "Does it get easier, Beth? Dealing with the pain?"

"It does." Beth got up and slid next to Allison on the couch, placing an arm around her shoulders. "With time, it does."

She gave her a squeeze and rose to her feet. "Now I have to track down Mick. This has been the longest I've gone without seeing him in … a while. But I wanted to talk about this with you first. You gonna be okay?"

Allison looked up and nodded. "Go. Get out of here. Just get back in time for a pizza or something. My treat."

"I probably can make that happen."

#

Alex poured herself a drink from the bar in her office. "Can I get you something, Agent Rehnquist?"

"No, thank you." Malcolm stood in front of her desk with his hands clasped behind his back. "I would like to continue our conversation concerning Mick St. John."

"What's there to tell?" She gestured over to the couches with her drink as she walked over and sat down. "He is a private investigator. One-man show, albeit successful one-man show. I asked him to help me look into Ben Talbot's murder because the police have found no leads or witnesses."

Rehnquist sat down sitting forward on the couch facing Alex. "Why are you involved in the case of a murdered district attorney?"

"Ben and I had a relationship a long time ago. I owe it to him." Alex sipped her drink and placed the glass on the coffee table. "But my people haven't found anything, either. I figured a fresh pair of eyes wouldn't hurt."

She hesitated and smiled. "Now. I'm interested to know why would you think St. John would have anything to do with Gemma Tejada's death."

Rehnquist reached into his jacket and pulled out what appeared to be a USB drive. "Evidence. The Hollenbeck Bar was shut down after Tejada's body was found. The owners arrested, assets seized. Information on other gangs up and down the Western seaboard disseminated to the respective authorities resulting in more than seven dozen arrests."

He placed the thumb drive back in his jacket. "I checked out the bar and found a secret security system. It took a little computer know how to figure out the server was located at the house of one of the owners. I checked it out and saw St. John come in like a madman. He took out maybe a half-dozen or so alleged customers before the place cleared out. He walked in the back office for about three minutes before walking out and exiting the bar. Time of death window coincided with the timestamp on the video."

Alex shook her head. "Agent Rehnquist, any judge would say that evidence is circumstantial. A crackhead would ask, "Well, did you see me do it?" Did video catch him in the act? The judge will ask that question and ninety percent of your case is torpedoed."

"Oh, I know. That's why it's staying with me. But I'm working on other evidence as well not associated with the Lindsey case, which is why I'm here." He looked around the white and woodgrain finishing of the office in awe. "I imagine your success did not come without some sweat and hard work, but I find it hard to believe someone of your caliber haven't found anything concerning your friend."

The intercom on Alex's desk stopped her from answering. "Alex, this is Robin. Hayley is outside waiting to speak with you. She says it's pertaining to one of your employees here."

Malcolm noted Alex's eyes widened just slightly but recovered almost instantaneously. She rose from her seat and looked over at her guest as she walked to her office door and opened it. "Agent Rehnquist, if you would excuse me. This won't take a minute."

He rose as Alex stepped outside, glimpsing for a brief instant a young woman with black hair wearing a T-shirt standing outside. His gaze turned to several pictures on a far wall, but his vampiristic hearing was focused on the conversation outside.

 _Allison just called me. I don't know what changed her mind but she doesn't want to look into her brother's death anymore._

 _Hmm. I'm willing to bet that Beth Turner may have had something to do with it. She's staying at Turner's house, right?_

 _Until tomorrow. She just signed a lease at the apartment complex. But she took a bunch of files over to look at pertaining to Tejada. You might be right. Turner might have seen something and called her out._

 _Okay. I have a federal agent in my office trying to narc out St. John on Tejada's murder. We may not need Allison Lindsey, but I'll know more once I see the evidence he has. Meantime, keep her close._

 _Got it._

Rehnquist was back in his seat by the time Alex returned. She closed the door and walked to the table to retrieve her glass. "I'm sorry about that, Agent Rehnquist," she said as she walked over to the bar. She used tongs to pull out ice cubes to place in her drink as she said, "Where were we?"

Rehnquist offered her an apologetic smile as he stood, holding out a business card. "I'm sorry myself, Miss Sanders. I have another appointment I have to keep in twenty minutes so I must be off, but I would like to discuss this in more detail with you at a later time."

Alex walked over and plucked the card from his hand. "I'll give you a call later to see if you're free. A pleasure."

#

Mick sat down behind his desk and began dialing on his phone. The person he dialed answered by the third ring. "Stecker."

Mick pressed the speakerphone button and placed the handset on the cradle. "Agent Stecker, this is Mick St. John calling."

"Detective. This is unexpected! What can I do for you?"

"I ran into a FBI agent earlier today saying he was looking into Ben Talbot's murder. I was under the impression that _you_ were the one heading the investigation."

"Not just heading. I'm a one-woman band. There are no other agents looking into this other than me." The anger in her tone was mixed with surprise. "Did he say he was from the local bureau?"

Beth peeked into his office from the passageway leading from the apartment. Mick smiled and waved her in. "No, he didn't. He was asking some very invasive questions and I thought it would be best if I contacted you."

Seated in a chair in front of the desk, Beth gave him a quizzical look. Mick shrugged as Stecker replied, "Yes, you did the right thing for sure. What is this bastard's name? I'm gonna track down his superior and let my hair down."

"Malcolm Rehnquist. Nice looking guy, tall, brown hair, mid-thirties."

"I'll track him down. Thanks for letting me know about this. If it's one thing I hate is someone stepping on my toes or in my yard."

"Not a problem, and if I could get a little professional courtesy in return. Could you … let me know what you find out?"

Stecker hesitated in answering for two seconds. "I don't think that will be a problem. Sure."

"Thank you, Agent Stecker." Mick picked the handset up for a second and then placed it down to disconnect the call. He expelled air and looked across his desk at Beth who still had a puzzled look on her face.

"What is going on? Why the talk with Stecker?"

"Another FBI agent is looking into Talbot's death. And guess what? He's Coraline and Lance's oldest relative."

Beth started to reply but her mouth did little more than open and close. "There's seven siblings. All vampires. I don't know how many are still alive. I don't know where he falls in this. All I know is something tipped him off to go to Sanders Securities because someone there was looking into Chemma Tejada."

At that, Beth sighed and rubbed her forehead. "It was Allison. She had a bunch of files and pictures at my place from the case."

"What did she do that for?"

Beth shrugged. "Closure."

A look of remorse fell on Mick. He nodded once and got to his feet. "I need a drink. This has been a long day."

He waited until Beth got up and they walked over into his apartment. Once he had a glass of blood and mug of coffee in hand, he walked them over to the couch where she rested.

Beth took the mug and smiled her thanks as he sat down beside her. She took a small sip and looked over at him. "Davis is looking for Leni. Where is she?"

"Chicago. Josef set her up in his penthouse suite. Job, nanny, a tutor for Mara. She'll be safe. I'll give Carl a call later and explain everything which he really shouldn't have a problem with because she's protected and out of his jurisdiction."

Beth remained silent but took another sip of coffee in acceptance of his answer. Mick noted the elevation of her heart beating and leaned forward to give her a closer look. "Okay, you have been acting a little weird since you got here. Is there something you want to tell me?"

She started to say something but diverted her eyes, choosing to stare into her coffee mug instead. Mick was about say something when she finally responded.

"I was asked to take the managing editor position at _BuzzWire_."

It was Mick's turn to be surprised at the announcement. He sat back in stunned silence, absorbing the news as Beth finally looked into his eyes. "I was offered the job the day of Talbot's funeral. I … I didn't know if I want it or not until today, but now I feel if I'm there, I can do some real good. Bring it to a level of respectability."

She looked up at him as she slid close to grab his hand. "I know we talked about about doing something for us, and I'm still focused in that. I just … need a little time. But if you don't like it -"

"Like it?" Mick gave her a smile. "Being a reporter is what you love doing. You are at your best, your absolute best when you are doing what you love."

Beth slowly smiled. "So it's okay?"

Mick clasped her hand with both of his. "Whatever makes you happy."

#

"Damnit," cursed Natalie Stecker as she went through the FBI subdirectory for the fifth time. The algorithm she constructed to run the description of the mysterious agent who questioned Mick had not turn up any helpful leads and only added to her frustration.

A knock on her office door forced her to look up as it opened. Special Agent in Charge James Olmsted poked his gray-stocked head in and smiled. "You left me a message?"

Stecker rose. "Yes, sir. I need some help tracking down an agent in the bureau."

Olmsted opened the door fully and stepped inside to lean his six foot frame against the frame. "Did you check the subdirectory?"

"Five times. Sir. I think this agent doesn't exist."

"Doesn't exist?" Olmsted moved past Stecker to occupy the seat she vacated and leaned in to peer at her monitor. "What's his name?"

"Rehnquist. Malcolm Rehnquist."

"Hmm. Name doesn't sound familiar. Tried the academy?"

"Yes, sir. I spoke with Assistant Director Riley and she doesn't have any record of a Malcolm Rehnquist attending. Ever."

"Maybe not during her tenure. She's only been there for maybe eight years. I'll reach out to some of my friends in admin to turn over some rocks and see what they find."

He rose and circled around the desk, stopping in front of her. "What's this pertaining to?"

"The Talbot case. A detective I interviewed called and said he was also investigating. So unless I miss something, you assigned _two_ agents to the same case."

Olmsted shrugged. "Chalk it up to old age. You know my memory's shot. Seriously, whoever this fake is talking to, you'll have to follow behind and talk to them."

"Copy that."

#

Josef stepped off the elevator onto the main floor of his offices followed closely by Adrian who toted a tablet in his hand as he scrolled down a list on the screen. "You have a meeting with the landowners concerning the winery in a hour, and Miss Walker is bringing over the contracts for your new venture in Chicago at four."

"Excellent." He strolled over to the large table where a carafe of refreshment rested on a tray. "I'm going to use the time to make some calls and relax for a bit. How long it will take to get to their offices?"

"I anticipate no more than fifteen minutes in traffic."

Josef poured himself a glass and took a sip. "We'll leave twenty minutes prior."

Adrian nodded and exited the office as Josef walked over to his desk and sat down, setting the glass down after another sip. He started to pull his phone out and was slightly startled when it began ringing in his pocket. He pulled it out and answered. "This is Josef Kostan."

"Mr. Kostan, you don't know me, but I definitely know you," a man with a slightly accented deep voice replied. "I wish to talk to you about some property that you own."

Josef sighed as he turned his chair to look out the window. "If you're calling to ask if I'm selling any property, I'll be happy to provide you the name and number of my attorneys. The only thing I discuss is what's on it."

"Oh, I have a question about a property you currently own that I have no doubt in my mind you are not considering selling. A certain brownstone in New York? 301 Waverly Place?"

Slowly Josef rose to his feet at the casual mention of the dwelling where Sarah Whitley resided. Anger was evident in his tone as he asked, "And … what's your interest in that property?"

The man on the other end chuckled softly. "Actually, sir, I misspoke. I have no interest in the property. Rather, I have an interest in one of the residents."

The anger Josef felt suddenly gave way to wary curiosity. "What … did you say?"

"I took a walk around and found this beautiful woman who curiously has the aura of a vampire and yet is … asleep. Your charge did not completely turn," the man said. His tone conveyed a sense of sympathy. "The rarest of occurrences when one sits in immortal limbo. Such a tragic circumstance for such a lovely woman. She would have made a beautiful vampire."

Josef could scarcely believe this. The one place very few people knew about, holding the one person he actually _loved,_ once again overran by someone who knew about him and centuries' worth of secrets. "Listen to me," he plead. "She hasn't done anything to you. You want money? I have more money than Gates. You want to leave the country? I have three planes in New York. They'll fly you anywhere. Stocks, jewelry, women, whatever you want, I can give you. I beg you, please."

" _Don't hurt her."_

#

Standing just outside the office, Adrian turned as Josef stepped out, looking somewhat subdued. He glanced at his watch and gave his employer a puzzled look. "We're not scheduled to leave for another twenty minutes, sir."

Josef shook his head and guided Adrian by the elbow to the elevator. "I won't be going, Adrian. I want you to handle it for me, please. Go with the offer we discussed, but stop if they call for anything six percent and over."

The doors opened but Adrian did not board. "Sir? Is everything okay?"

"Yes, but I'll be even better if you would follow my directives without fail," Josef said, gesturing for Adrian to enter.

Hesitantly, Adrian nodded and stepped inside, turning to look back at Josef as he hurried back to his office and shut the door behind him. Eyeing his glass of blood, he rushed over to the desk and drained it in one gulp as he frantically glanced at the grandfather clock every few seconds.

His vampire hearing picked up the sound of the elevator as its doors opened. He set the empty glass down and turned around to face the entrance as the office doors parted, admitting the Cleaner and her two female assistants. The three who took part in absconding with Evelyn Monaghan stopped in a triangle formation facing Josef.

"Kostan," the Cleaner said. "Your call said it was a matter of importance so I came as soon as I could."

Josef nodded. "Yes, it is. I need you to apprehend and contain someone for me."

\- Chapter 19 -


	21. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

#

Alex eyed Agent Stecker's federal identification briefly before handing it back. "I'll have to talk to my front desk people about properly vetting LEOs before they come on the premises," she said. "I didn't ask for a badge but I guess it's what I get for assuming. Twelve years in the game and I got caught for a rookie mistake."

Stecker slid her billfold back into her jacket. "It happens to the best of us, Miss Sanders. No harm, no foul. Since I'm here, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind discussing the conversation you had with this Malcolm Rehnquist."

"He said he had evidence pertaining to the murder of a Latino gang lord who had put a hit out on Josh Lindsey." She gestured to the seat behind Stecker as she took her own at her desk. "Everything was on a flash drive he pulled out of his pocket."

Stecker took the seat as she asked, "Did he show you the evidence?"

Alex flipped through a manila folder in front of her. "No, but we're suppose to meet later to discuss some other things in detail so I'm sure it will come up."

Stecker smiled as she leaned forward. "I hope you'd forgive me for asking this, but I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't ask. How long were you and Ben Talbot sleeping together?"

Alex froze at the question as Stecker continued. "I did my homework on you, Miss Sanders. I know about your business relationship, but it struck me as odd that the head of one of the most successful private investigation firms in California would be looking into his murder unless there was some sort of … _personal involvement."_

Alex slowly nodded as she slid the folder back on the desk. "We had a brief but meaningful relationship," she said. "Our business relationship lasted longer. The night he … died, however, we talked about rekindling the flames. So to speak."

Stecker stared at Alex for several heartbeats before shrugging indifferently. "Okay. It's none of my business. I just wanted to see if you would try to deny it or make up some story. My main focus is why I have this fake FBI agent trolling in my yard."

Alex relaxed slightly as she rose and walked over to the bar. "Well, you might want to talk to St. John about that. For a second I thought they were going to go at it in my conference room."

"Wait a minute." Stecker held up a hand. " _Mick_ St. John? The detective?"

Alex glanced over her shoulder. "Yes. He was here because I asked him to come. I had gotten the call about Rehnquist and he was very interested in Gemma Tejada's murder as well as Ben Talbot's. Said he had evidence that placed St. John at the scene where Tejada's body was found."

Stecker sat back in her chair, deep in thought as she processed the new information. "And you were planning on speaking with Rehnquist again?"

"Maybe, though after what you told me, I don't want that fool anywhere near my building again." Alex made her way back to seat with a drink in hand. "I'm liable to shoot him."

"Oh no, definitely not here." Stecker leaned forward in her chair once more.

"Maybe a bar?"

#

The Cleaner stepped out of her black BMW in front of the large warehouse she and her associates use as a staging ground for the numerous jobs they perform on a nightly basis. So the sight of two of them loading a van with heavy equipment at a late afternoon hour gave her pause.

Sliding her sunglasses down from her red-gold tresses to protect her eyes, she stepped over to one of the women toting a black duffel bag. "Alicia, why are you breaking out the titanium bonds?"

Alicia easily slid the long bag into the back of the van, lowering the vehicle several centimeters. "Apprehension order. Seems the bromance between Josef Kostan and Mick St. John has come to an end. We have orders to pick St. John up and get him ready for a nice, long trip."

The Cleaner grabbed Alicia by the elbow. "Wait. Kostan may be the most powerful of our kind here in the city, but he doesn't have the power to call for anything, _especially_ an apprehension and detention order."

A feminine voice with a faint British accent responded. "That much I made clear to Kostan." From the open bay door, the Cleaner appeared, followed by two of her female associates garbed in their usual black latex outfits. "But he believes St. John may have given out some type of information to someone outside of our people."

"That is outrageous! Mick St. John and Josef Kostan have been the best of friends for … decades! The likelihood of them betraying each other is outrageous!"

The raven-haired female snapped her fingers. Alicia and the others circled around to board the van as she stepped close to her cohort. "That may be, but it's our duty to intercept and contain any type of aggressive transgression towards the vampire nation in this city, whether human … _or vampire._ You have that duty as well. Are you coming with us, or not?"

Red smiled bashfully and gestured down at herself. "I believe I may be a little overdressed for the occasion."

Raven took in the black, long-sleeved dress and red stilettos Red was wearing. She shook her head and moved to the passenger door of the van. Red watched it accelerate down the driveway and turned onto the busy highway before she started pacing in front of the bay, pulling her cellphone out from a deep skirt pocket. She scrolled through her contact list until the number she thought she would never use was highlighted on the screen.

"She wanted to know where I got my boots," she said as she pressed the dial button. Two seconds later, a voice answered.

"This is Beth Turner."

#

Mick stepped out of his shower and reached for a fresh towel to wrap around his waist. He cinched it tight and began to reach for another one to dry off.

" _MICK!"_

Beth's shout thrusted him into automatic without thought. He hurried downstairs with a wooden stake in each hand, eyes darting around for Beth. His fears subsided as he spotted her standing by the passageway to his office. She hurriedly gestured for him to come over while crossing over to meet him at the same time, holding her cellphone out in front of her. "How many are there?"

Mick stared at the device stunned as he recognized the Cleaner's voice on speaker. "Five. And they have titanium chains. Same cuffs we used on Lance. Listen, Beth, I can't stop them and I can't do anything to help Mick. And whatever is going on with them, I can't call Josef. You have to warn Mick. I estimate you have maybe ten minutes before they arrive."

"He knows. Thanks, … Cleaner." She disconnected the call and looked up at Mick. "Did you get that?"

"Yeah, it sounds like I have a Cleaner crew coming for me. The question is _why."_

Beth pushed him towards the stairs. "That's a question you have to save for your best friend."

#

Josef stood at the edge of his pool, a glass of plasma in one hand and his cellphone in another. He sipped on the blood and sighed as he looked across the water at the late afternoon sun, his mind whirling with thoughts of the betrayal he orchestrated.

He smelled the scent of decay without turning around. "I had a feeling you would stop by," he said slightly over his right shoulder, holding the cellphone up. "Beth sent me a not-too-nice one word text about five minutes ago."

"Why, Josef? Why did you call the Cleaner and her crew on me?"

Josef slowly turned around to face Mick. He stood at the doorway in his usual attire, hands spread to his sides as a gesture of defeat. "Whatever the reason is, I think I deserve to know. As your friend, I deserve that."

Josef drained the glass and gave him a solemn look. "He has Sarah," he said quietly.

"Who? Rehnquist? How do you know? Have you -"

Josef hurled his glass against the wall behind Mick, missing him by nearly a foot. It shattered in a thousand pieces, spraying the concrete with shards and remnants of red liquid as he yelled, "Yes, I called the house! I called associates of mine in New York and they found it _empty_! My nurse, Paula? She doesn't know what happened! Sarah - gone! My Sarah, she's just - _gone!"_

Josef crossed the ten feet between them in less than a second, grabbing Mick by the lapel of his jacket. "She doesn't have you to defend her like you defend Beth at every turn! She has no idea what our world is all about! But it doesn't matter because he has her, Mick!"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out one of Mick's decorative stakes. "For me to save her, he wants you," he said softly. "I … I wish there was another way."

The door opened behind Mick. An enraged Beth hurriedly exited the house, followed closely by Simone. "Beth, I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation for this," pleaded the lawyer.

Beth ignored her as she stepped between the two men and jabbed a finger into Josef's chest. "I don't know what the hell is going on, Josef, but in the short amount of time that I've known you, Mick has done so much for you! And you turn around and betray him?! Why?!"

Josef looked down at her and then back up at Mick. He took a step back and held the stake out to Beth, giving her a sad smile.

"He will explain it to you, Beth. And when he finishes, you're gonna need this."

She hesitantly took the weapon but Josef held onto it long enough to say as he looked into her eyes, "Please forgive me."

Josef released the weapon and guided Simone back to the entrance. Beth's eyes followed them until the doors closed before locking onto Mick's. "What's going on, Mick? And why would Josef think I would need a stake?"

Mick sighed and reached for her hands to pull them close. "Josef … he only did what he felt he had to do, Beth."

" _What he felt he had to do?!"_ She gave him an incredulous look. "By calling a female vampire hit squad out against you? He may be your best friend, but -"

Mick cut her off. "It's Sarah, Beth. Someone has Sarah."

Beth stared back at Mick in shocked silence as he continued. "I'm sure it's Malcolm who has her. She wasn't at the house when Josef's people went there, but she'll be returned safe and sound … in exchange for me."

The young woman's mind was racing. Josef and Mick never made choices that would affect the other. For Josef to call for Mick's arrest, it was impossible. Incomprehensible.

And as she looked into his eyes, she detected a sense of sadness. Regret. Resignation.

But also determination.

"You're going to let this happen. You're going to sacrifice yourself … for Sarah."

He slowly nodded. "I would do it for the love of Josef's life. Just as much as I would for the love of mine."

Beth's eyes began to well up with tears. She ran her hand across her face before reaching up with it to cup Mick's chin. "Why are you so damned righteous sometimes?" she laughed.

Mick smiled. "I don't know. I think it all started with me saving a four-year-old girl from my ex-wife. But I wouldn't change a thing."

He pulled her close again and leaned in for a passionate embrace and kiss. Beth's eyes closed as she savored the taste of his lips in silence until it ended. Her hands were once again to Mick's chest.

She opened her eyes to look up at Mick's. He locked on with hers for a second before they both lowered to the stake held in her hands pointed at his chest. His hands held hers and the weapon in place.

"I love you," he said.

Beth blinked fresh tears away at the simple words. She smiled up at him as she adjusted her grip on the stake. "I love you, too. And wherever they're taking you, I will find you."

With that, she exerted pressure on the weapon, combining with Mick's strength, to thrust it into his chest cavity. His face twisted in anguish as he fell to his knees and then flat to his back, almost completely immobile.

#

 _He will go for your freedom._

 _He will go for your friends until they betray you._

 _He will go for the one you love until she betrays you._

 _And_ you _will let him._

 _#_

Josef watched from the front driveway of the mansion as the Cleaner and her workers carefully placed Mick in a bag normally reserved for cadavers. They sealed the bag closed and then carefully slid it into the back of the van.

The Cleaner instructed the females to prepare for departure before turning to Josef. "I have to say, Kostan. This is low. Even for you."

Josef glanced over his shoulder at Beth standing in the doorway, being consoled by Simone. "You honestly don't need to tell me. She had already sent me a text. You have your instructions?"

"Head to the private hangar section of the airport. Hangar 328. I just hope all of this was worth it." She glanced at Beth briefly before turning towards the van. Seconds later, it proceeded down the driveway to the front gate.

Josef watched until it disappeared past the foliage parallel to the driveway. He braced himself and turned around where he was greeted with a vicious slap from Beth. Simone stood behind her, pure shock evident on her face.

The blow barely stung, much less turned him, but the shock still brought Josef's hand to his face as Beth glared at him with red-rimmed eyes. "Josef, I hope you rot in hell for eternity."

"Beth, for what's it's worth, I'll never forgive myself."

Beth stepped close to Josef until they were mere inches apart. She exhaled audibly and whispered into his ear.

"Good. Because _I_ will never forgive you." She took two steps back and stared hard at him for a second before heading to Mick's car as Simone stepped to Josef's side.

"Give her time, Josef," she said. "She'll come around eventually."

Josef looked down at his watch and then pulled his cellphone from his pocket.

"Oh she will," he growled. "In about thirty minutes."

#

A Gulfstream jet was the only thing in the center of the open hangar the van pulled up to. Through the windshield, the Cleaner could see at least one pilot in the cockpit sitting at the controls.

Alicia stopped the van and put it in park. She turned to the Cleaner and handed her a '22. "I'm not liking this at all."

The Cleaner glanced down at the weapon and then back up that the plane. She took the gun and slid it into an inside jacket pocket before opening the door to exit the van. Alicia and the other ladies remained inside.

She detected the decay even before she began walking over to the jet. "Rehnquist!" she shouted.

Footsteps echoed in the hangar as Malcolm descended from the plane. He closed his eyes and inhaled audibly when his feet touched ground. ""It is an honor to be in the presence of a noble house," he said, opening his eyes as he drew close to the Cleaner. "Also a shame how your house has lowered itself to mere lackeys and miscreants."

The Cleaner growled in rage at the disrespectful comment. Malcolm merely smiled as he looked past her at the van. "I take it you are the one who is delivering my package?"

She forced herself calm before nodding. "He's staked and in the back."

Malcolm nodded and turned back towards the plane. When he noted the Cleaner remained where she stood, he turned back around. "Well? Have the women get him onboard. I would like to be in the air soon."

"I don't think so." She crossed her arms. "Josef Kostan and Mick St. John are like brothers. For you to be able to do what you did, you have something. If you want St. John on that plane, it's time to give it back."

Malcolm regarded her in silence for several seconds. Finally he smiled. "Anthony," he said softly.

A small man wearing a wrinkled shirt and loosened tie immediately descended the plane carrying a cellphone. He pressed a button and held it out to the Cleaner. "A text was sent to Mr. Kostan informing him of where he can pick up his prize."

The Cleaner peered at the screen to scan the display. When she finished, she shook her head in disbelief. "Are you trying to send a message to Kostan? Sending him _there?"_

Malcolm gestured for Anthony to board the plane. "The only thing that should concern you is that I kept my word to him and that is where he will find her."

The Cleaner frowned. " _Her?"_

"I said too much." Malcolm started for the plane but caught himself, his demeanor devoid of any patience he previously displayed. "Actually, there's one more thing."

"Get him on the plane. _Now."_

 _-_ Chapter 20 -


	22. Epilogue

Epilogue

#

Josef ran off the elevator, cellphone to his ear. "Ryder is talking with airport security trying to get a team out there but it would be prudent for you and your people to get there first. If you don't, Mick is gone for good."

He disconnected the call as he came up to the door leading into Mick's apartment. He hovered there briefly, reminiscing on the time he would come over on his own accord sometimes, or to speak with his most loyal friend.

 _Loyal._ He scoffed at the thought. _He would step in front of a stake for me, and what do I do? I serve him up to a vampire for someone who may not even be alive._

He reached in his pocket for his door fob but the decay in the air stopped him. He took in more of the scent in an effort to identify who could be waiting on the other side. Giving up, he pressed the button on the fob and the door immediately swung open.

Josef slid the fob back into his pocket and stepped inside, pausing only to close the door behind him before walking further into the apartment. The late afternoon sun shining through the windows belatedly forced him to shield his eyes while he felt his way over to close the blinds.

When the sunlight subsided and his eyes adjusted, he noticed the passageway to Mick's office open and lit but the office darkened. Glancing around the apartment and seeing nothing out of place, Josef walked through the hallway into the office and turned on the lights.

A woman, dressed in a black silk blouse and dark slacks stood at the window with her back to him. Her curly, auburn-colored hair reflected the sunlight shining through the blinds just perfect as she slowly turned.

 _Impossible,_ he thought, staring back at the woman in shock as he took an unsteady step forward.

"Sarah?"

\- ###

This brings "Purge" to a close. I hope you all have enjoyed it. The last few chapters were difficult to write as I felt I rushed them out while the framework for "Purge" had been laid out for a few years. Still, I am very proud of the product.

After the New Year, I hope to begin work on the third and final chapter to bring the trilogy to a close. Still working out the details as for the middle and end. I have an idea for the beginning which I'm piecing together now. A brief glimpse into Malcolm Rehnquist's past, perhaps?

So, mid-January I hope to have the first chapter out. Favorite me as your author and you will be notified when it happens.

Thanks for your patronage. Once again, I hope you all enjoyed this beautiful story.

Goodfella73


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